Innovations during COVID-19

Written by SAFE
An illustration of a hammer surrounded by cartoon viruses and germs

Like you, we are tired of seeing COVID-19 infection rates continue to climb. The pandemic is affecting everyone – including our clients, who are already healing from trauma.

We see fear from people facing abuse at home. Not just fear of people using violence, but fear of coming to a shelter where they might get infected. We see stress in families facing economic hardships and increased isolation at home. And we see sadness in kids living in our Children’s Shelter, unable to leave the facility and uncertain about their future.

Which is why our doors remain open and why our staff are finding innovative ways to address the needs of our clients.

Some of SAFE’s most innovative initiatives from the last month

  • Paying teen summer workers to create TikTok videos about consent and healthy relationships
  • Creating a mobile will clinic for current SAFE clients in need of will or child custody documents
  • Developing videos to teach people with disabilities about consent, particularly in isolation
  • Conducting a Zoom panel on the way fathers are handling stress during the pandemic
  • Putting together peer support counseling groups specifically for Black/African American survivors of domestic violence
  • Airing a public service announcement with UT Coach Tom Herman encouraging men to use their strength for good
  • Expanding the ways SAFE can contribute to public safety, such as our Bridge to Safety program that serves survivors of domestic violence and keeps them from having to call the police for help
  • Creating an online sexual harassment prevention module to accompany our BASE healthy workplace training
  • Working with actress April Lee Hernandez to promote healthy parenting during stressful times
  • Finding ways to encourage our teen residents to disengage from their frequently destructive social media – sometimes by turning off their internet!

We are all doing our best to find ways to not only care for those who need us, but to care for ourselves and ensure the safety of our community.