Rebuild (1)

Eastside Domestic Violence Program - Rebuild
Major structural renovations to existing buildings or building anew from the ground up in order to ensure the built environment suits the needs and aspirations of the program.

MORE CASE STUDIES
Redecorate
Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties

Remodel
YWCA Walla Walla

Rebuild
Eastside Domestic Violence Program
Salvation Army Catherine Booth House
YWCA Pierce County
Family Resource Center of Lincoln County

Rethink
Domestic Violence Housing First

The Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP) has found they can serve a wider range of families more effectively in individual apartments.

After occupying a large communal house for many years EDVP made an inventive transition from property ownership to leased apartments for its emergency shelter. Survivors “hide in plain sight” in individual units within a large complex where anonymity is relatively easily maintained. Eight apartments house survivors and their children, and two provide space for support groups, advocacy offices, children’s indoor play areas, one to one meetings, and groups. Apartments allow EDVP to serve families for whom communal shelter would be particularly difficult. For example, families who keep kosher, have severe food allergies, or require a vegetarian kitchen for religious or ethical reasons can all be accommodated much more easily in an apartment.

EDVP found that this model provides welcome privacy for residents and frees advocates’ time from rule enforcement, checking chores and mediating conflict, thus making more time for survivor centered advocacy. During a time of increasingly tight budgets, the program found it could do more with less by benefitting from the shared resources in the apartment complex, including ample laundry facilities and a pool. To facilitate and encourage contact with advocates, the program offers free food and hosts gatherings focused on family fun as well as advocacy. Giving up the burden of owning the emergency shelter building has advantages from the perspective of building maintenance. And this “rebuild” strategy allowed flexibility–when the rental market changed, the program realized they could get better amenities and outdoor play spaces for children at a similar cost by moving to a different apartment complex. Leasing rather than owning made this shift much easier.

PROJECT DATA
Community Context: Suburban
Shelter Type: Apartments
Building Area: n/a
Average # of Families: 10
Living Unit Types: (3) 1-BR, (6) 2-BR & (1) 3-BR apts in an apartment complex
Kitchen/Dining Type: in-unit
Other Communal Spaces: 2 apts serve as staff & advocacy space
On-Site Staff: 2
Top: A small kitchen that is part of an individual unit. Middle: A long line of commercial washers. Bottom: The shelter's pool.