LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Unclean. Unsanitary. Unhelpful. Unsafe.
Those are not the words you'd expect to describe a place that is meant to be a safe haven for survivors of domestic violence fleeing their abusers. However, that's how more than two dozen current and former clients and employees of SafeNest describe it.
Since we began investigating SafeNest, other entities have stepped in to follow up on the allegations and evidence we exposed.
During a limited inspection after our series began airing, most of the observations and brief interviews conducted by state health inspectors didn't reveal concerns. However, they did ask other agencies to follow up after two residents said they didn't feel safe, alleging physical abuse, sexual abuse and drug and alcohol use in the shelter.
Questions about oversight and demands for accountability have been mounting since our investigative series began airing in October.
As we reported, some oversight comes from the state's Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance. They sent inspectors to SafeNest on October 30, almost a week after our first story aired.
Shortly thereafter, SafeNest posted a statement to the community on their website critical of our reports. The statement included one sentence about the state's findings.
What's notable isn't what they did say, but what state records show they didn't say in their statement.
In preparing for this story, I asked SafeNest for an on-camera interview. They declined and asked to respond in writing.
Though our policy is not to provide questions in advance, we did ask them for comment on the portions of the state's report they chose not to include in the statement that sat at the top of their website for nearly two months.
Instead of answering me, they posted a new statement on their website on Monday — the day before they knew our story was set to air. It acknowledges more of the state's findings, saying SafeNest didn't include that in the first statement "because the allegations were referred by the inspectors to the appropriate authorities."
As you read this story, keep in mind, it was only after we called them out, that they chose to be fully transparent with the public.
Our series has highlighted the experiences of women who are frightened, desperate for safety and security, seeking shelter, but instead finding chaos at one of the lowest points in their lives.
"Every time I get to the gate, I'm in fear to even enter the gate," April said. "Because every time I go in there, my safety is in danger."
April is one of the four SafeNest clients who first came forward asking 13 Investigates to share their stories. They lived in the shelter in varying stages from Fall of 2023 through Summer 2024. They all provided documents, photos and videos of what they encountered in the shelter, including physical violence, theft, drugs, weapons, and an unsanitary environment.
"The conditions of the shelter were absolutely unethical," Lauren said.
WATCH: 'The living standards are grotesque': Shelter clients share their experiences inside SafeNest
Their experiences caught the attention of the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services, who brought in the state Department of Health and sparked HCQC's inspection. The Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance does not license or certify domestic violence shelters, but does investigate complaints of a potential public health hazard, like the conditions in the kitchen and bathrooms that were documented by the women we spoke to.
SafeNest had nearly a week to clean up after we reported on the clients' experiences. In its letter to the community after the state's inspection, SafeNest said it "Fully cooperated with the bureau," which "Found no evidence of crimes that would warrant a report to law enforcement agencies, and found no evidence of a public health hazard to warrant further investigation regarding public health."
We wanted to know what else the state found, so 13 Investigates obtained the three-page memo inspectors wrote about their visit.
You can read the full memo below.
Overall, inspectors found the facilities were clean and functional. They saw a housekeeper sweeping downstairs, but the stairs and the upstairs hallway in the main house were found to have dirt, dust and debris on floors.
When inspectors tried to speak to clients about safety at the shelter, a male resident "Reported things were good and (he) felt safe." But when a female resident who "Appeared nervous and was talking in circles" was speaking to inspectors, SafeNest's chief operating officer cut it short, "Telling inspectors they needed to put interviews on pause because residents might feel uncomfortable."
The surveyors told SafeNest it was "The clients' right to speak to an inspector if they wished to do so," noting, "The VP and COO both agreed."
Inspectors then interviewed another female client who lived at the shelter with her four children, and told them, "She loves it there and the staff are great." However, the state's report notes that SafeNest "Staff had directed inspectors to speak with" that particular woman.
The report also notes that her experience was not shared by all.
Lauren told 13 Investigates in our original story, "It was an absolute nightmare in this place!" Two other female clients described to inspectors the type of conditions that Lauren and the other women we spoke to experienced.
Although SafeNest's statement called the state's visit a "surprise investigation," the report shows those two female clients told inspectors, "The facility was always dirty and staff knew the state was going to be visiting, so staff scrambled to clean up the shelter. They also indicated there is physical abuse, sexual abuse, and drug and alcohol use in the facility."
In its statement after the state's visit, SafeNest didn't acknowledge what those two women told inspectors, but did write, "Unfortunately for victims of domestic and sexual abuse, the trauma, violence, and co-occuring drug addiction and mental health conditions do not end the moment they walk through our shelter doors."
A former employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that that sometimes leads to violence between shelter residents.
"The reaction to the violence is what was surprising," the former employee said. "They wouldn't necessarily do very much about any of it."
The two women told inspectors they "Feel the staff are doing the best they can, but there is a lack of screening/searching clients. They explained clients will leave the facility to go to the store and return with drugs and alcohol. Overall, the two clients feel the shelter is very unsafe."
Just like those we spoke to.
"I feel like it's hunger games there," Natasha said. "You have to basically fight to survive in there! It's horrible."
"They don't treat us like they're concerned, or care about our well-being, or our safety, or anything while we're in there," April added.
The state's report also says, "No calendar/schedule regarding security/mental health counseling was observed, but when specifically asked, the vice president of advocacy and collaboration advised they were providing those services."
April disagreed and told us about her experiences when she was there earlier this year,
"I have not received even the bare minimum of what they are alleging they will provide or offer to somebody who's a victim of domestic violence and fleeing from a trafficker."
A spokesperson for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to me in an email that "State health facility inspectors did not witness any crimes while inspecting the facility in October, but did make referrals to other agencies regarding abuse allegations."
That's another element of the state's report that SafeNest chose not to mention in its previous statement to the community.
As I explained at the beginning of our story, SafeNest is now acknowledging all the state's findings. As of Monday, they removed the statement that had been at the top of their website for two months, posted a new statement further down the home page, and published the state's full report.
Nevada Health and Human services told me inspectors provided their findings to the DCFS’ victim services unit, and that DCFS continues to work with an outside organization—Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence—to address the concerns at SafeNest.
We won't be able to get details on that because state law makes Adult Protective Services records confidential.
Jan. 6, 2025 statement from SafeNest Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Linda Bridges:
"In October, the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (HCQC) conducted a surprise investigation of our shelter after receiving a complaint of a public health hazard. We have made the full report available on our website [safenest.org].
We value the HCQC’s investigation and appreciate their findings. We shared that HCQC found no evidence of crimes that would warrant a report to law enforcement agencies and found no evidence of a public health hazard to warrant further investigation regarding public health. Allegations of abuse, drug use, or safety concerns raised during the inspection were treated with the utmost seriousness. We did not include this in our previous statement because the allegations were referred by the inspectors to the appropriate authorities, including the Department of Child and Family Services and Adult Protective Services, for further investigation, as is SafeNest's practice whenever complaints of this nature are filed. SafeNest remains committed to full cooperation and to implementing any recommendations.
At SafeNest, the safety, dignity and well-being of our clients have been at the heart of our work for 48 years. We are aware of the concerns that several clients have expressed to Ch. 13 regarding their dissatisfaction, and we take all concerns seriously. When serving a large and diverse community, challenges are inevitable. We view these as opportunities to continue to listen, learn, and grow. Every interaction, every piece of feedback and every experience informs the work we do every day to save lives and offer hope. We are proud to have served over 500,000 clients here in Las Vegas since 1977 and remain unwavering in our commitment to fostering a safe, supportive environment for all clients in need."