Please help! Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault continue to be turned away from Washtenaw County’s only Domestic Violence Shelter despite it have many open beds and as a result, they are becoming homeless, living in their vehicles in frigid temperatures or are being forced to return to their abusers. Since August of 2021 SafeHouse has only provided shelter to 4-11 people per week despite having 52 available beds per their own reports and they are turning away dozens of victims every week telling individuals calling for help they can’t provide shelter due to a “lack of staffing”. However they continue to receive State, Federal, County and private funding as if they were fully functioning at capacity.

Beginning in February of 2021 the Ann Arbor Independent newspaper began reporting staff and client complaints of racial discrimination, lack of resources provided to victims and overall mistreatment of staff and by staff. Accompanying each article are pictures of filthy living conditions, scarce and expired food provided to clients and other dangerous conditions that are very disturbing.

These concerns have been brought to the attention of The SafeHouse Board of Directors countless times since February of 2021 and only after pressure by the Board of Washtenaw County Commissioners in October of 2021 did the SafeHouse Board place the shelter administrator on full paid leave and hire an independent investigator to make recommendations. 

Since then, three more months have passed and victims attempting to escape abuse have continued to be turned away from shelter every single day. We are now facing sub zero temperatures in Michigan  and have victims and their children still with no place to turn as most shelters within a 60 mile radius are legitimately at capacity due to Covid and the typical increase of abuse during this time of the year. 

We all know that animals would not be allowed to remain homeless or sleep in vehicles in sub zero temperatures instead they’d be taken into shelter! Let’s  make sure victims and their children in Washtenaw County are treated with the same care, concern and respect as animals are! Please provide safe alternative shelter for victims in Washtenaw County!