Coastal Women's Shelter

P.O. Box 13081
New Bern NC, 28562
(252) 638-5131

Coastal Women's Shelter is dedicated to the development of the family as an essential and responsible part of American society. To this end, the Board of Directors established a program in 1986 to assist family members, primarily women and children, who suffer when there is a breakdown in the family system resulting in domestic violence.  Coastal Women's Shelter's mission is to provide support, education and alternatives to individuals and their families whose lives have been disrupted by the devastating effects of domestic violence. Coastal Women's Shelter is the sole agency in Craven,
Jones and Pamlico Counties to offer a comprehensive program to assist victims of domestic and family violence.

Victim services include a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency temporary and transitional shelter, court advocacy, weekly support groups for both women and children, assistance with law enforcement and the judicial process, transportation, employment resources, housing assistance, and interagency information and referrals. Client outreach, increasing community awareness regarding the dynamics of domestic violence and available resources, and offering training and educational workshops continue to be integral parts of
the program. Services are provided primarily to women and children in Craven, Jones and Pamlico Counties who are experiencing domestic violence. We also provide services to men and individuals from other counties, states, and countries as needed.

Coastal Women's Shelter employs 10 full time staff members: the Executive Director, three Court Advocates, Shelter Manager, Shelter Evening Manager, Shelter Night Manager, Office/Grant Manager, Administrative Assistant and Helping Hands Shoppe Manager. Others employed or contracted are a New Choices Coordinator (for Displaced Homemakers), seven part-time Relief Workers, two Sales Associates, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, two Licensed Occupational Therapists and two Child Care Leaders. The Shelter
Managers supervise the Relief Workers, while the Executive Director
supervises the full-time and contract staff and is responsible to the Board of Directors. Approximately 75 volunteers participate actively in our agency. They assist with childcare, transportation, clerical work, thrift store duties, court advocacy, public education and awareness presentations, fundraisers, and staffing the 24-hour crisis hotline.

Coastal Women's Shelter maintains a safe and confidential shelter in a residential area of Craven County. Through a special NC Legislation appropriation and a Community Development Block Grant obtained by the City of New Bern, Coastal Women's Shelter was able to purchase the shelter house with cash in December of 1987. The shelter is fully furnished with donated items and consists of a staff office, computer/resource room, laundry room, food pantry, kitchen, living room, playroom, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also a large fenced-in backyard and a storage area for donated items intended for shelter residents (they also receive vouchers for needed items from our thrift store, free of charge.) The shelter can accommodate twelve to fifteen women and children. The shelter is staffed and operated seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. During weekdays between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, victims of domestic violence can contact the office for shelter assistance. After office house, on weekends and on holidays, victims can contact the 24-hour crisis hotline for assistance. When the shelter is full to capacity, arrangements are made for victims to stay at a local motel or referrals are made to shelters in surrounding counties.

The immediate goal of the shelter program is to provide victims of domestic violence with a safe and confidential haven. The shelter's long-range goal is to empower victims with information and resources so that they may achieve a future free from violence.

Victims of domestic violence come from all races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They are physically battered and emotionally distraught. They fear for their safety and that of their children. They typically suffer from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and poor problem-solving skills due to the long term psychological battering they have received from their abusers. They are commonly kept isolated from their family and friends, often have no means of transportation, or access to any funds. This translates into no support system, no knowledge of resources, no mobility, and a constant sense of fear for their safety. Shelter program staff and volunteers strive to meet the victim's immediate needs by assisting them with emotional support, safety plans, food, clothing, and in some cases, medical attention. Once their immediate needs are met, staff and volunteers assist victims in establishing and attaining goals by offering victims housing referrals, employment resources, information on legal avenues available, assistance in accessing the court system, and transportation and child care resources. To further empower the victims' decision-making processes with regard to the future, staff members educate them with literature, videos, and conversation on the dynamics of domestic violence, the effects of family violence on children, and alternatives to physical discipline. To enhance self-esteem building, networking, and the recovery process, it is required that residents attend the weekly support group while at the shelter. It is also suggested that the victims obtain individual counseling to secure optimum mental health during this difficult time of transition. Victims are made aware of and are encouraged to utilize all agency services as well as community resources. Without intervention services, domestic violence will
continue to be a devastating and growing social epidemic resulting in debilitating injuries and death.

To measure the success of the immediate goals of the shelter programs, victim feedback and exit interviews (written and verbal) are requested. Also, informal and formal evaluations of shelter programs are sought from
Board Members, grantors, and cooperating agencies. Since the shelter program strives to meet the victim's needs, as well as the community's needs, this information is brought to the Board's and staff's attention to discuss potential policy changes, enhance current service, and/or change services offered. The task becomes more difficult when measuring long-range goals, as statistics reveal that progress toward a violence-free future is often slow and arduous. However, the immediate goals of providing support, education, and resources are always accomplished and directly affect the success of the long-range goals. Success of long-range goals can be measured through follow-up with clients, many of whom make the transition from victim to survivor. Some survivors become volunteers with the shelter programs so that they might share their experiences and accomplishments with current victims and possibly offer inspiration for a better life.