CABOT — Domestic violence is something many people don’t want to talk about. It can be uncomfortable, and it is easy to turn a blind eye and pretend it doesn’t happen. That is the attitude that Sarah Brown, executive director of Lonoke County Safe Haven, runs into a lot, but it’s not acceptable, she said.
“Domestic violence is not discriminatory,” she said, noting that it is a problem that can touch anyone, regardless of a person’s socioeconomic position, race or community.
Lonoke County Safe Haven is a residential facility with a 30-day program to help women and families escape violent situations and get back on their feet. Currently, the facility has room for 16 adults, and it is not limited to Lonoke County residents.
“We get people from all over the state,” Brown said. “Sometimes it’s not for the full 30 days, either. A lot of the time, families need to escape a situation. It may just be a weekend so they can get their stuff together so they can move on to their extended family.”
Brown said the facility has mentoring programs and just added Celebrate Recovery — a program designed to help people break bad habits. Lonoke County Safe Haven also helps women apply for assistance and find the help they need going forward.
“We’re here to help them figure out what to do next,” Brown said. “We are here to help navigate the systems that can be complicated and intimidating.”
Aside from its mission of helping those in immediate need escape dangerous situations, Brown said, Lonoke County Safe Haven works hard to educate the community about the realities of domestic violence and break the stigma of what it means to be a victim.
“Part of our funding goes toward education,” she said. “In fact, February was Teen Dating Abuse Awareness Month, and I got to go to Cabot and Beebe schools to talk about dating violence.”
Brown said that even with teens, it’s important to caution them against relationships in which one person tries to isolate the other from friends and family, which can be a warning sign early on in a domestic-violence situation.
“We’ve got to be cognitive about the isolation and the overprotective relationships,” Brown said.
On March 28, Lonoke County Safe Haven will have its first Domestic Violence Awareness Dinner. The banquet — which will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Cabot Freshman Academy — will be a fundraiser for Lonoke County Safe Haven, as well as an opportunity to educate the attendees about domestic violence.
“We do get some grants, but they mostly cover some business expenses. We are a donation-driven facility, so this banquet is really going to help,” Brown said. “Education is part of the goal. One of our big things is to educate the community.”
D.J. Williams, former Arkansas Razorback football player, and state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, will speak at the banquet.
Individual tickets for the Domestic Violence Awareness Dinner are $25. There are also several sponsorship opportunities, including a Silver Sponsor which includes eight tickets and advertising for $250, a Gold Sponsor which includes eight tickets and a larger ad space for $500 and a Platinum Sponsor which includes eight tickets and recognition as an event sponsor for $1,000.
To purchase tickets, message the Lonoke County Safe Haven Facebook page or email director@lcsh.org.
For more information about Lonoke County Safe Haven, visit www.lcsh.org or the facility’s Facebook account. Brown also said Safe Haven has a hotline — (501) 941-4357 — for those in need of assistance.