The Willow purchases second shelter that will add 16 beds for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking

photo by: Contributed Photo

On Aug. 27, The Willow Domestic Violence Center closed on its second shelter in Lawrence, pictured above.

The Willow Domestic Violence Center will soon have 16 additional beds for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. The Lawrence nonprofit, which serves Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties, closed on a second shelter Thursday morning.

Megan Stuke, The Willow’s executive director, said the second shelter will add beds that the organization desperately needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced them to reduce capacity at their original shelter. The original shelter had 28 beds, but Stuke said the need to socially distance has forced the organization to cut down capacity by two-thirds.

The new shelter will have eight bedrooms with two beds in each one. Depending on if they are serving individuals or families, the organization will have the capacity to house 16 people. Unrelated people cannot be in the same room due to COVID-19 precautions.

The shelters are in different parts of Lawrence, Stuke said. The new shelter was purchased through the fundraising efforts of a capital campaign, which began in January and which Stuke hopes will culminate by the end of October, which is domestic violence awareness month.

The goal is to raise $700,000. The nonprofit had raised about $555,000 as of Thursday.

In addition to purchasing the second shelter, the funds from the capital campaign will also go toward renovations to the existing shelter, which suffered a flood in December of 2019.

“This was not our plan to run a capital campaign through a pandemic and so the Willow has been so pleased to get as much as we have considering the conditions,” Stuke said. But she added that she is concerned about maintaining operating expenses.

Grants from major foundations as well as individual donors have helped the organization reach $555,000, but Stuke said they are looking for additional support from the community to help them reach their goal.

The second shelter should be in use in about one month, Stuke said.

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