Spotlight: Dove Center

by KATIE BROOKS

After enduring a period of domestic violence, Jane (name has been changed) needed safety and hope. She found both at a shelter house owned by DOVE Center, a nonprofit organization headquartered in St. George. When she was ready, Jane transitioned from this crisis shelter to transitional housing at another DOVE Center facility called Erin’s House.

During her stay, Jane focused on her personal growth by participating in case management and therapy and utilizing community partners for medical needs, job coaching, and college preparation. Within four months of arriving at DOVE Center, Jane had moved into her own place, obtained a full-time job, and reentered school to finish her college degree. In these four months, Jane had begun the healing process, gained emotional strength, and become self-sufficient.

For nearly 25 years, DOVE Center has been a haven and step up for victims like Jane. In 1994, a group of concerned community members and civic leaders founded DOVE Center with the primary goal of providing a safe house for victims of domestic violence. Because of community support, funding from government entities, and DOVE Center’s 2017 merger with the Erin Kimball Memorial Foundation (EKMF), DOVE Center is now much more than a crisis shelter.

The fear of becoming homeless is often a major reason that a victim of domestic violence feels that they cannot leave an abusive relationship. DOVE Center's acquisition of Erin's House allows a single organization to provide both confidential shelter during a crisis and longer-term transitional housing to help victims get back on their feet. This shelter and housing is available to adult victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their dependent children. The services are free, confidential, and offered regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

DOVE Center is the only agency in southern Utah that dispatches advocates to assist victims of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence during forensic exams at the local hospital. They are also the only local agency providing survivors with free education specific to financial literacy and empowerment. DOVE Center also facilitates a unique trauma-recovery support group to female inmates at Purgatory Correctional Facility in Washington County.

An understanding of the community’s important role in preventing and handling domestic violence leads DOVE Center to engage in public-awareness and educational activities. DOVE Center has formed a collaborative partnership with local law-enforcement agencies to implement the Lethality Assessment Protocol. This lets officers on the scene of domestic violence connect victims to advocates who can then help the victims access shelter and create safety plans.

Another part of DOVE Center’s mission—and perhaps their specialty—is providing trauma-informed services to victims of domestic violence. This includes education, individual counseling, therapy, and support groups. Even an educational group for children aged 6-12 is offered. DOVE Center also provides educational seminars on healthy relationships and violence prevention in local schools and Dixie State University. This education helps everyday citizens learn how to end domestic and sexual violence through bystander intervention.

While DOVE Center receives funding from private and government grants, the community is the biggest reason that DOVE Center is able to provide so much support to its beneficiaries. Volunteer hours, fundraising events, and donations from local citizens are largely what allow victims like Jane to leave their painful pasts behind for brighter futures. To learn more, donate, or find other ways to help, visit DOVE Center’s website.