This month I spoke with Hannah, executive director, and Stephanie, Program Director & Clinical Supervisor, of SafeCenter in Clinton and Shiawassee Counties. They were delightful, and kind enough to share some of their aspirations, accomplishments, and visions for their agency.
I first asked of their backgrounds. Hannah, long time LMSW, came to work as an advocate and therapist with SafeCenter. She stepped away, and came back years later taking on the executive director position – “which has been barrels of fun,” she gushes. Hannah told me about her three dogs – Harley, Hershey, and Honey – as well as her love for travel and the outdoors. Hannah didn’t come to the field of social services right off the bat – she tells me she was initially a music major during her undergraduate studies at Michigan State. “It makes sense how things come together,” she says. As a secondary survivor of violence herself, Hannah underlined the prevalence of domestic violence, rippling through generations. When asked what pushed her into this field, she told me, “Working in this movement has the power to change your life and bring a lot into focus… It’s not so much how I came into the work, but the importance of the work. It sticks with people and can really make or break a person. Healing is possible, and when we don’t talk about and confront the issues, they fester and lead to some really bad things, unhealthy things. Being in this movement in general, just allows us to confront those.”
Stephanie has held down the Program Director position with the agency for over 5 years. She loves to cook every day, to craft, to paint, and to be outside – in addition to parenting duties. Stephanie is a new mom of a sweet baby boy of about 4 months. She described her extensive background – from oncology to outpatient services, to social work, she loved the people. It was the work the agency was doing that really drew her to her current role: “it’s a dream come true,” she smiled, while keeping her little guy occupied. A survivor as well, Stephanie didn’t realize she wanted a career devoted to survivors of domestic violence until she dove into the work. Stephanie’s passion was evident in sharing what keeps her going: “I love that we follow an empowerment approach to find their own path and what’s right for them in their journey to healing.”
The agency has been experiencing rapid change over the past two years too. As an agency dedicated to systems change and improving outcomes for the community, Hannah and Stephanie shared many of the ventures they have been hard at work on. Most notably, in the age of resignation, their staff has been incredibly resilient. Staff have developed an internal equity and inclusion committee taking a hard look at policy and procedure. From the boots on the ground and up throughout the organization, this committee ensures they highlight diversity as a core value – everything they do touches on a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework as it pertains to survivors.
They continue to build upon that foundation: as COVID-19 has so vastly impacted every aspect of our lives, SafeCenter shifts their fundraising efforts, supporting a positive work culture, and promoting safety in the community with the help of so many community partners. Hannah told me that encouraging authenticity and transparency from leaders allows for a more positive culture outwards, into the community as well. She said, “We’re queens of fun - we like to have fun, we like to laugh. But also continue to educate people. Talk about what’s going on.”
As for any last words, empowerment came to mind. Stephanie and Hannah told me about the agency’s philosophy to empower people to become their best selves. They said, “The agency’s core belief is hope, and giving people the belief that it is possible for them to leave whatever circumstances they came from, transcend the circumstances, and have the life they want regardless of those circumstances. That’s what we’re all about here – helping people take those next steps through transformation and growth and hope.”
Contact SafeCenter’s 24/7 crisis line: 877-952-7283
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