LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Non-profits helping victims of abuse in Las Vegas are looking to expand. They say local shelters are at capacity and our city needs the resources.
October of 2021, Liz Ortenburger, the CEO of SafeNest, said their shelter was full and it forced them to put survivors in apartments or hotels. A year later, Ortenburger says the issue hasn’t been resolved and it’s still difficult to find a safe space for people who are scared for their lives.
In a city like Las Vegas, sports and entertainment events often keep hotels full and pricey. That puts a major strain on the SafeNest budget.
“We’re averaging about $30,000 to $50,000 a month on hotels,” said Ortenburger. “Hotel rooms, if they’re available, are $400 to $900 a night.”’
Combine that with domestic violence shelters at their capacity and some COVID restrictions still in place? Ortenburger calls it “the perfect storm.”
“I couldn't imagine if my child or sister or someone I loved was sexually assaulted during a large event here. And for whatever reason, their hotel room was no longer an option. They needed services to put them on the air mattress on a floor. And a multipurpose room is not appropriate for our city. It's not appropriate for a survivor. And I know we can do better,” Ortenburger said.
SafeNest is looking to fix the availability problem with an expansion. The non-profit wants to tear down the existing shelter and re-build using a building for sale nearby and two vacant lots. They’ve already put in an offer.
There’s a push for more beds and private rooms for trauma survivors rather than communal living.
“We should be looking at hopefully around 80 private rooms that can house up to four people per room. So, 320 beds along with a smaller survivor resource center,” Ortenburger explained.
Ortenburger’s vision also includes 24-hour wrap-around care that will include help with child and medical care.
“So that any survivor in the valley that needs a place for their children to be safe while they go and get a sexual assault exam or a strangulation exam or fill out a police report or go to court,” she said.
This dream hangs on the reality of funding. SafeNest is waiting to hear what Clark County, the City of Las Vegas and private donors are willing to invest. Costs for the new project are estimated between $10 and $15 million.
Ortenburger says the proposed facilities could help thousands of future families escape domestic violence.
“So really the goal is by the time we have the Super Bowl, we need a facility that can handle those kinds of events coming to town in a way that is building hope and starting that healing process immediately,” Ortenburger said.
The hope is to start construction in 2023 with larger expansions through 2025.
Shelters are for family members who are experiencing extreme violence in the home.
SafeNest works off something called a “lethality index” which goes on a zero to twenty-point scale. You have to have a 16 or higher to get a bed. Having a score high enough to get a bed typically means you’ve been threatened with a deadly weapon or have been victimized by an attack such as strangulation.
No matter what level of abuse you’re suffering, there is help available.
You can call or text the 24-7 hotline- that’s (702) 646-4981. You can also chat with an advocate at SafeNest.org.
