Many cities and the Lincoln County board of commissioners have proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Amber Wishoff, director of My Safe Place, providing support for victims and their families, reported there are several things going on throughout the month to help draw more awareness regarding what domestic violence victims face. Tomorrow, 10-20-22 is wear purple day, to show support for victims and citizens are encouraged to purchase purple lights to "shine a light on domestic violence".
Wishoff added that this declaration is an important opportunity to share with the public more information about this prevalent epidemic, to show how the pandemic affected families and domestic violence victims, My Safe Place saw a 95% increase in the amount of calls to their hotline from 2019 to 2020 and another 50% increase from 2020 to 2021. She added that the complexity of the calls also increased. During the pandemic when people were told to stay home for safety, home wasn't always safe for some.
There is a great need for more volunteers with a variety of opportunities available. They also have a bottle drop account that citizens can donate to. Wishoff added that providing information and education is very important to keeping the community aware of things to watch for and how people can help. Abuse can come in many forms includ5ing mental, elder abuse, physical, sexual assault and economic control.
For more information about how you can help or if you would like to donate or volunteer you can contact My Safe Place at 541-574-9424. My Safe Place Lincoln County provides services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and teen dating violence in the community. Thank you to the Lincoln County Domestic and Sexual Violence Council (LCDSVC) for their advocacy and collaborative effort to end violence.
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