Hollister
– The house has been built and freshly painted. The rooms are
furnished and stuffed with donations of toys and clothes. But what
Emmaus House, a shelter for battered women, is missing is money in
the bank to run the show.
Hollister – The house has been built and freshly painted. The rooms are furnished and stuffed with donations of toys and clothes. But what Emmaus House, a shelter for battered women, is missing is money in the bank to run the show.
The house on the corner of Sunnyslope Road and Valley View Road is getting its finishing touches and will host a reception and open house on December 5. However, only $10,000 of the $200,000 needed to open and operate the home for a year has been raised. After a year, it could become eligible for state funding. Because they are lacking the funding, the organizers have yet to set an opening date.
But board members, some of whom have been a part of the project since its inception in 1995, aren’t getting discouraged.
“The hardest part is done. This is a million dollar facility that is all paid for,” said Gary Byrne, treasurer for Emmaus House who also works for Community Foundation.
The 6,000 square foot house has nine bedrooms that will house women and their families. Once the house is operating, it will offer counseling, legal aid and clothes donations so that women who come there have the tools to rebuild their lives.
Rev. David Rodriguez, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Hollister who came up with the project, is optimistic also. He has numerous fund-raising events planned as well as a couple of volunteer grant writers ready to appeal for donations from private charities.
“The fact that we were able to build this house shows that we have a lot of community support behind us,” he said.
Construction began in 1995 as a response to the growing homeless problem, which Rev. Rodriguez attributes in part to domestic violence. He said women who are victims of abuse often come to his church seeking a place to stay, but there simply isn’t enough money to keep them there more than a few days.
There are about 360 cases of domestic violence per year in San Benito County, which means almost one family a day is affected by the problem, according to Rev. Hanna Peterson, assistant pastor at First Presbyterian.
Most incidents of domestic violence also involve substance abuse which increases during holidays and events like the Superbowl because many people are drinking and can get violent, according to Rodriguez.
Although Emmaus House only has room for up to nine women and their families, the home would make a significant contribution to a county that has no such shelter and takes victims to other counties, like Salinas, said Katie Fancher, coordinator of the Victim/Witness Program at San Benito County District Attorney’s office who is also on the Board of Director for Emmaus House. However, laws have changed in recent years to give the victim more options, including being able to stay in their home, while the abuser is arrested and prevented from approaching the house for up to five days. Restraining orders can also be used to give a woman time to decide her options.
“We see a lot of women who are not sure what they want to do and if we can keep them at home, we try to do that,” said Fancher.
Shelters such as this one should be a last resort and should be used for women who have exhausted all other options, Fancher said.
Rodriguez does not know when Emmaus will raise the money needed to open the home. But he is praying, organizing fund drives and, above all, working hard. Next on the nonprofit’s list is a plan to apply for private grants. World Savings is also donating $7,500.
Numerous fund-raisers are planned to reach Emmaus’ goal of $200,000. One of the events on the agenda is a New Year’s Eve dinner and dance at the Elk’s Lodge, with tickets at $45 a person. Rodriguez is aiming for 300 people and estimates a $10 profit from each one. Another is a pancake dinner at the Presbyterian Church, 2055 San Benito St., scheduled for January 10. For more information, call Emmaus at 637-4350.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or
ki*****@fr***********.com
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