Domestic abuse shelter’s 2nd year anniversary

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that the perpetrator uses to gain power and control over his or her spouse or intimate partner.  While that definition may be simple, ending domestic violence is something entirely different.  The program director for Safe Harbor, Julie Meredith, drew attention today to the multi-county services of her organization and this Sunday’s two-year anniversary of Oconee’s emergency shelter.  At 16 beds, the Oconee shelter is the smallest of Safe Harbor’s two other shelters in Anderson and Greenville counties.  Within the first 48 hours of operation the Oconee shelter filled all of its beds.  And Meredith says the numbers at the 16-bed facility have remained strong.  She told a public policy gathering of the Oconee Chamber of Commerce that, by percentage, only a small number of men are known to commit domestic violence, but they are often repeaters.  “So much abuse by so few,” she said this morning.   Safe Harbor offers more than an average stay of 60 days to a client who needs shelter.  Other Safe Harbor programs include counseling, education efforts, and housing assistance.  Two of its education programs seek to engage men in efforts to stop the cycle of abuse and educate young women to avoid becoming vulnerable to unhealthy pressures from their boyfriends.