PayPal Gives $4,000 Grant to SARC Safehouse; Gift Provides Safe Housing for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence

From Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Resource Center:

On December 21, PayPal employee Mike Althouse presented Luisa Caiazzo, CEO of SARC (Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Resource Center) with a check in the amount of $4,000 to support SARC’s 28-bed safehouse.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families. The SARC safehouse provides shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence and their children for up to six months. The safehouse addresses the immediate safety needs of these victims who would otherwise be homeless.

The safehouse is a home-like environment with common areas, shared bathrooms and a shared kitchen in which families prepare their own meals. SARC’s safehouse program provides many services to primary and secondary victims including: emergency shelter, safety planning, 24-hour crisis support, case management, individual and group counseling, emergency financial and food assistance, and assistance navigating the maze of local, state, and federal resources. In 2015 SARC housed 180 clients, including 83 children for a total of 9,536 safe nights. The average length of stay in safe housing is 57 days.

“The generous grant from the employees of PayPal will help SARC continue to provide safe shelter to victims of domestic violence” stated Luisa Caiazzo, CEO of SARC. “We work closely with local law enforcement agencies that screen for high lethality when responding to calls for assistance. When SARC helpline workers receive an officer call that is identified as high risk of being killed, we are able to offer the victim immediate refuge at SARC’s Safehouse. This PayPal GIVES grant will enable SARC to continue to extend that lifeline.”