Turning Pointe Domestic Violence Services Programs
Turning Pointe hosts the monthly Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Task Force meeting to foster partnerships with other first responders and community members to examine needs, gaps in services and too develop a coordinated community response to meet the needs of victims and to hold perpetrator accountable under the fullest extent of the law.
Turning Pointe Domestic Violence Shelter with the support of the Mason County community opened its new 54 bed facility on Dec. 26 2009, as one of the largest shelters in Washington State. The Staff and Board of Directors have worked hard to develop programs that meet client needs and exceed their expectations. Community members volunteer their time to provide rooms for adults and children filled with comfort, education and recreational materials, a vegtable garden for fresh produce, maintenance of the building and grounds, donations of household goods to support a fresh start for clients, fundraising and donations to support operation and equipment needs. Staff provide support groups, food purchase and preperation class, chemical dependency and domestic violence recovery, assistance with low income housing opporutnities, support for non-english speaking clients and their families, community development and education.
Community outreach and education focuses on support and meeting the needs of educating the community, clients, schools and civic organizations. Outreach materials are destributed to Dr.'s offices, hospitals, hair salons and other places the community gathers. We provide classes and education pieces for the community as well as for the clients living and working at the shelter. Prevention Education for children and community awareness can help us reach everyone in Mason County, creating support for victims and accountability for perpetrators. Together we can make a difference and provide safty ans security in our community.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In cooperation with Mason County Conservation District we successfully applied for a grant that allowed us to construct a storm water retention and elimination system to minimize the overall effect on the environment. In addition, porous concrete created semi-permiable surfaces that generate less runoff and allow storm water to be absorbed into the ground rather than going directly into the creek behind the shelter. This measure will divert more than 6.3 million gallons of water from the waste stream. Native plants were also used to increase environment support and reduce our use of energy in maintaining them.
Currently, we are one of the largest shelters in the state with the fewest employees. While our first year of operation has brought many challenges none are more important than the need for funding development to sustain much needed housing and services. Since opening our doors we have been filled to capacity and continue to receive requests from clients who want to be placed on the waiting list. To meet the multitude of needs in our community including non-English speaking services and outreach we need to hire, train and develop more staff who can offer important, relevant programs and support to those we serve.