During recession, shelter's needs grows, as does clientele

In fiscal year 2009, with the Great Recession in full swing, the My Sister's Place domestic-violence shelter in Athens had 289 more bed days than in 2008, which is defined as one person per bed per day. Also, the average length of bed days in fiscal year 2009 doubled from 14-17 days to 29 days.

The shelter offers free services to victims of domestic violence, and because of this overload, the shelter turned away more women and children than in 2008.

"If people can't get out and move on, people can't get in," said Kate McGuckin, executive director of My Sister's Place.

The shelter's referrals to outside agencies increased from 4,090 in fiscal year 2008 to 4,626 in 2009. The referrals are usually related to necessities such as bus tokens, medical aid, legal assistance, financial aid, child care or alcohol treatment. The average household family income for victims was $1,190 in fiscal year 2008, and in 2009 in dropped to $800, McGuckin said.

The recession has put dramatic stress on many families who have never had money problems before, she said. These families are struggling to find basic necessities, feed their children, or afford gas to drive to work if they have jobs. The governmental aid system can be difficult to navigate for those without much experience, especially in these circumstances, she said.

"I think these numbers tell, very graphically, what has happened," McGuckin said. "We see a lot of people come in at the end of the month who have gone hungry for two or three days before."
While McGuckin said that she doesn't think poverty directly causes domestic violence, she does acknowledge the stress it puts on a family.

"It's absolutely linked," McGuckin said. "If domestic violence is present and you add that additional layer of stress, you probably will see an escalation of violence. Any kind of stressor in a family can do that."

McGuckin said the shelter is seeing younger women and more children. Mothers have more difficulty in locating resources because they must provide food and shelter for more than just themselves, as well as clothing and school supplies.

"You can't eat air," she said.

The shelter also has had financial difficulties over the years, having to how to survive on less. This financial savvy helped prepare the shelter to deal with the added stress of the Great Recession.

"We were recycling and we were clipping coupons before it was fashionable," she said. "Other agencies have always had adequate funds but now find themselves really destitute so they haven't developed the skills we have developed to survive."

She said that local support for the shelter has increased this past year even with the national economic crisis. They received two unsolicited large donations totaling $6,000, as well as a grant from the state Attorney General for $20,000 to purchase a new vehicle for the shelter.

"We've had a huge surge in donations," she said. "Money is tight everywhere but they're still very giving."

In light of decreased funding and rising operating costs over the years, the shelter hosts two fundraisers annually, a drag show and golf tournament. However, McGuckin said that since the shelter is a nationally accredited licensed mental-health facility it should not have to rely on fundraising to survive.

"We need to be serving our clients," she said. "Our time is limited in what we can do."