In the year of 2020, 8 residents of Hamilton County died at the hands of domestic violence.  That is a stark number for  the wealthiest county in the state of Indiana, which does not have a domestic violence shelter within the county lines.

This is an issue I have written about countless times over more than 9 years of this blog.  It has been frankly embarrassing that our county has not been able to find a way to construct and run a shelter for these victims.

For the first time in my memory, the Hamilton County Council has taken an important first step in finally putting  together such a shelter.

A news release from the county says Councilman Fred Glynn requested, and the council approved, $14,500 funding a project development agreement with RQAW. The engineering firm has been tasked with imagining a domestic violence shelter for Hamilton County. RQAW presented preliminary findings and renderings at the latest council meeting.

“There is no safe emergency shelter located in the county for families fleeing domestic violence,” says Susan Ferguson, executive director at Prevail, Hamilton County’s comprehensive non-residential services provider. “Because of this, victims are staying in, or returning to, unsafe and abusive situations so that they have housing for themselves and their children.”

Last year was sadly a busy time for Prevail. The agency served 3,783 clients – 52% of them victims of domestic violence. Since there is currently no shelter available in Hamilton County, victims and their children are often sent to shelters in Madison and Marion counties.

“Domestic violence affects people of all socio-economic backgrounds and education levels,” says County Councilman Fred Glynn. “Hamilton County is no different. We need to start taking care of our most vulnerable residents and providing them with the support they need to leave a bad situation.”

The 20,000 square foot shelter would be designed to provide temporary shelter for up to six victims of domestic violence at a time. A location has yet to be determined. The estimated cost could be anywhere from $3 million to $5 million.

So, it is good to see county officials taking the first steps in establishing a local domestic violence shelter.

If you or someone you know is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse, call Prevail’s 24-hour crisis line at (317) 776-3472 or the 24-hour statewide hotline at (800) 332-7385.