across the Empire Division Domestic Violence Services

The Salvation Army’s Safe House is a 15-bed emergency shelter in Elmira that provides residential and non-residential services to survivors of domestic violence. Safe House operates 24 hours a day, seven-days a week and is the contracted agency within Chemung County to provide services to survivors of domestic violence and their children.

The Salvation Army of Jamestown’s Anew Center is certified as a provider of both domestic violence residential and non-residential services for Chautauqua County. Anew Center is a 13-bed shelter that provides a 24-hour hotline, case management, group counseling, family crisis intervention, and is designated by the Department of Health for rape crisis response.

A Survivor’s Story

Mary had been married for 12 years – and a survivor of domestic violence for the very same 12 years. She and her husband were both active members of their community and, as Mary kept the abuse well hidden, no one ever suspected that anything was, or could be, wrong.

Mary tried to flee multiple times, but he found her each time – and punished her. Scared and knowing that she may not be able to stay alive much longer, Mary decided to try one more time to leave and knew that she had to get as far away as possible.

Through a National Domestic Violence hotline, Mary was able to find her way to a Salvation Army shelter in southern New York State – several states away from where she had made her call for help. While there, Mary was able to receive the assistance she was so desperately in need of but had been scared of asking for.

It wasn’t an easy road, and Mary wondered several times if she had made the right decision or not. But when Mary was at her lowest, a Salvation Army Officer took her under his wing and made sure that she saw the good ahead of her.

This is just the beginning of Mary’s story and after leaving The Salvation Army shelter, she has been able to build a new life for herself and continues to thrive in her new community she now calls home. The Salvation Army Empire Division will continue to be there for Mary and the survivors of domestic abuse and violence.