Safe Nigh Ministries for Domestic Violance Victims Outreach will reach another mile stone April 11 when the doors will open to their brick and mortor location at 2423G Hwy 62/412 in Highland.
“We will be offering numerous services for both victims and survivors of abuse. We will have volunteer advocates to help identify resources within our communities, a charity clothes closet, assistance with laundering, showers, temporary shelter, assistance in placement in shelters as needed, and faith-based support groups,” Founder Karen Bagwell said.
Bagwell began the process to help victims of domestic violance in 2021 after seeing an overwhelming need for support for victims of domestic violence.
“In the beginning our ministry was basically a rescue program in Sharp county, but now, over a year into operation we have greatly expanded in response to what we have found the victims and survivors in our area need and now have added Fulton and Izard counties into our service area,” Bagwell said.
Initially, Bagwell worked with friends and others interested in helping victims but it posed challenges as resources were at times, hard to come by. Despite the challenges, Bagwell remained steadfast in her desire to help victims and the ministry has helped many since its start a little over a year ago.
“Safe Night Ministries for Domestic Violence Victims was formed in response to the overwhelming need for support of domestic violence victims in our rural area and the lack of resources in our communities for this population. We began as a rescue program with local police officers and key community leaders to identify victims in crisis,” Bagwell said.
“We reached out with the safety of temporary placement along with food, personal care items, clothing and transportation as needed. Our main purpose was to reach out to these women and to meet their immediate needs while assisting them to form an individual safety plan, and then to assist and empower them to move forward into a safe and secure future for themselves and for their children, if any were involved.”
The new brick and mortor location will be open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 12 noon.
“Victims and survivors are always welcome to walk in for assistance or to call either line listed below. We are beyond excited to be able to offer these services to our communities domestic violence victims and survivors,” Bagwell said.
“Our ministry is evolving in response to the needs we see and by current funding. For more information please call: Office: 870-955-5000 or Advocate Line: 870-710-0122.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Arkansas: 40.8 percent of Arkansas women and 34.8 percent of Arkansas men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes. Nearly 500 victims were served by shelters and programs each day in 2019.
Many requests for services went unmet due to lack of resources.
In 2017, Arkansas had the third highest rate in the nation of women murdered by men.
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
