Hello and Happy August!
It has been a year since the community answered the call to support, A Safe Haven for Survivors and Their Children, our 100-day/$100,000 crowdfunding campaign. And what a year it has been! A year of energy and momentum behind the scenes, envisioning a new era of survivor services.
Here is a peek at some of our important foundational successes in planning for funding and establishing of New Jersey’s first regional, public facing safe house for survivors.
- Visioning and Resource Planning: A formal planning committee launched in March 2024 to develop a comprehensive Business Resource Plan that will be used by the Board to inform strategy and operations beginning in 2025.
- Organizational Visibility: Team members attended and presented at national, state, and local conferences on homelessness and housing resources, substance use, mental health, and the intersection with domestic and sexual violence. We are building our knowledge and expertise and expanding our networks for our future safe house and campus success.
- Project Management: Our two newest board members, a Project Management professional and Interior Designer, are leading the initial planning team – pro bono! – saving funds for the future project costs.
- Promising Partnerships: We have met with public facing safe house organizations including Peace House (Utah), The Haven (Montana), DC Safe (Washington DC) and Safe Horizons (NYC). Leaders from these organizations have agreed to provide mentoring and support to our CEO and team as the project progresses.
- Board Development: The Board of Trustees is working to increase membership by 60% in 2024. This strategic recruitment effort is focused on bringing on the expertise, skill sets and networks that will further enhance our success with this project.
- On Site Assessment: Board leadership engaged in tours of and strategic learning conversations with Safe House team members and clients to identify key issues and priorities for the project.
This is just the beginning! Stay tuned as we embark on this audacious journey of healing and hope for survivors. I will continue to update you as this exciting effort moves forward.
Please contact me with questions or to explore more ways in which you can support this project. I can be reached at [email protected].
Thank you again for investing in a new beginning for Safe + Sound Somerset and most importantly survivors.
With Heartfelt Gratitude,
Michele E Boronkas
President & Chief Executive Officer
