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In the 18 years since our Shelter opened, The Julian Center has
offered safety to thousands of women and children fleeing the
terrors of violence in their homes. Although we have served the
community for many years, media attention to domestic violence
continues to increase the demand for our information and services.
Requests for speakers and training pour in daily from churches,
service organizations, schools, and medical professionals.
As never before, conditions are optimal for The Julian Center
to reach out to those who aren't aware that help is available.
Unfortunately, this potential can't be realized when the demand
already outstrips the supply of shelter beds available.
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What about the current Shelter?
Our current Shelter can house up to 49 women and children at
one time, and typically runs at full capacity. Last year, more
than half of the women and children who came to our door were
turned away due to lack of space. While we accommodated 482, another
618 had to be refused.
The Shelter, a rented facility with no room for expansion, lacks
many of the amenities that can ease trauma for clients. For example,
it has little space for recreation or study, and no rooms for
medical treatment or therapy. Although the Shelter provides three
meals a day to residents, it has no commercial kitchen or dishwasher.
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Why expand the Shelter?
To meet more effectively the community's needs, The Julian Center
has initiated a major effort to expand our services and increase
visibility by establishing Shelter facilities at our new Meridian
Street location. Constructing a shelter in this prominent location
makes The Julian Center services more visible to those most in
need. This new visibility also supports our mission to continually
raise public awareness about domestic violence.
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What about security issues?
State-of-the-art technology ensures security will not be compromised
for Shelter residents. In fact, shelters across the country have
begun to publicize their locations to great success, paving the
way for The Julian Center to follow suit. In truth, although the
location of our current Shelter is confidential, it has resided
in the same building for 17 years. Anyone who really wants to
find it can do so.
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Why make the Shelter more public?
Anonymity allows domestic violence and its victims to lurk in
the shadows - out of sight, out of mind. This lack of visibility
lulls the public into thinking that domestic abuse happens only
in "certain kinds" of families and is not a public concern. Domestic
violence is an equal-opportunity offender. No person, regardless
of ethnicity, social class, educational background, or economic
status, is automatically immune from its terror and heartbreak.
A more visible Shelter helps the public understand that, in today's
society, an intimate relationship can be the most dangerous place
for a woman.
In the past several years, approximately 30 percent of Marion
County homicides were domestic-violence related. In 1998, the
number of women killed in domestic-violence related deaths doubled.
A larger, more visible Shelter permits advertising and encourages
women in potentially lethal situations to seek refuge.
Shelter is especially critical in the first 60 days after a woman
takes her first step toward independence and, as a result, faces
the greatest risk of homicide. The availability of additional
shelter rooms plus increased education about the risk of homicide
combine to create several positive outcomes. More at-risk women
will choose safety. In the process, the incidence of domestic
homicides could be reduced.
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When will the new Shelter be completed?
Shelter construction began in the fall of 2000 and is scheduled
to be completed within one year. The plan calls for a two-story,
residential building with 30,000 square feet, doubling the capacity
of our existing Shelter and featuring:
Separate bathrooms and shower rooms for women/girls and boys
A laundry room
Common rooms for adults and children
Offices for advocates
A commercial kitchen and 100-person dining room
Secure, outdoor areas providing quality recreational space for
both women and children
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What will the new Shelter provide for residents?
Nearly half of the women who come to The Julian Center Shelter
have children - 28 percent have two or more. Fully 60 percent
of the women who seek safe shelter have annual incomes under $5,000.
For these women, a shelter room is often the only means of escape
from an abusive and potentially life-threatening relationship.
Plainly speaking, The Julian Center represents their only hope.
An enlarged Shelter enables The Julian Center to accommodate more
of these desperate women and their children.
Rooms will be designed for both safety and comfort to help minimize
the trauma of shelter living. The combined renovation and new
Shelter will provide rooms where group and individual therapy
can be offered frequently and in absolute privacy, where women
can prepare for jobs or schooling, and children can play and do
their homework.
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How can I contribute to the new Shelter?
You may contribute to the Capital Campaign in many ways. To learn
more about how to donate to the Shelter expansion, click
here.
Then download and complete the Donation
Form and mail it to us at:
The Julian Center
2011 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis IN 46202
* This form is available online via an Adobe PDF file. If you
don't have Acrobat Reader, just download
Acrobat Reader and you'll be able to view and print the form.
You may also make a donation by credit card over the telephone
by calling our Development Office at 317.941.2205. Visa and MasterCard
are accepted.
For more information on donating to The Julian Center, e-mail us
by clicking here.
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