DANA nets grant for new position

Domestic Violence is Not Acceptable, a Sparta-based safe home recently became one of the 150 country-wide recipients of a $20,000 grant from the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to help local domestic violence survivors. According to a press release provided by the foundation, “the foundation has committed $3 million to domestic violence shelters and safe houses in all 50 states,” the release stated. “Each of the 150 participating shelter or safe houses will receive a $20,000 grant to meet needs specific to each of the recipient shelters.”

Locally, the grant will help fund a 20-hour a week outreach worker position for one year, according to DANA Service Victims Case Manager, Pam Sizemore. The position is slated to pay $9 an hour. “It makes us feel very privileged to be one picked for such a grant,” Sizemore said.

“Up until last year, we operated with two part-time people and last fiscal year, we received a grant from the governor’s crime commission which allowed the two of us to go full time. Part of the money that we had in with the governor’s crime commission was to expand on our current women’s support group and add a Latino women’s support group.

That group has gone so well this last year, that it has created a need that we are unable to fill because a lot of the women from support groups are then referring other women to us. Sometimes, we’re hitting that language barrier where we aren’t able to respond right away. Also, there’s a lot of need in the community as far as when we send somebody to another agency for services, every other agency in the community seems to be the same way we are when it comes to interpretation.”

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