WAVI continues to support victims and educate community

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Story by Siandhara Bonnet, Rapid City Journal

An organization started by three women in the late ‘70s to help battered women get out of abusive relationships has expanded into an agency helping anyone in an abusive relationship and victims of human trafficking, and to educate the community on abuse.

“These women saw a need, they were young themselves, and they stepped up and decided something needed to be done,” WAVI development director Kristina Simmons said. “I’ve talked to several of them — they’re fiery and they're just grit and just amazing people... They’ve gotten to watch to see where we are today, and to be talking about expanding again, they’re still part of that conversation.”

WAVI, Working Against Violence, Inc., was founded in 1978 by Kathy Peil, Pat Hinrichs and Margot Burton to help women and children in crisis situations by providing temporary emergency shelter, food and/ or supportive services, and to educate the community on the issues of battery. It was originally called the “Battered Women’s Task Force Organization.”

Simmons said the organization is discussing expanding further from its Quincy Street location to have an administration-dedicated building and a shelter dedicated building.

WAVI is currently adding a shower to its downstairs bathroom.

“We just want to make sure when people stay here they’re as accommodated as possible,” Simmons said. “When they stay here, they’re already being uprooted, and it’s home even if it’s temporary.” Back in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the three women who founded the organization would put women and children in hotel rooms under fake names and their own names, and pay for it out of pocket.

Simmons said from there, WAVI developed into small shelters throughout the area and have been in their Quincy Street location since 2004.

She said WAVI has always served men at the shelter and in 2017 became the first shelter in the state to house men.

“Really it came down to they’re all victims, they're all trying to survive, they’re all trying to move forward,” Simmons said. “Each person’s story is different and unique to their situation.”

WAVI serves an average of 3,000 unduplicated people a year, but provides about 25,000 services a year, all at no cost. That includes in- out-of-shelter clients.

The organization is classified as an emergency shelter and temporary shelter with 13 bedrooms for women, children and men. Support services include safety planning, domestic violence education, in-shelter children’s program, community referrals and a free 24/7 crisis line. WAVI is also able to refer clients to the OneHeart campus.

Simmons said clients usually end up leaving the Black Hills area because it’s a small, connected community.

“There’s being attacked by friends and family members of an abuser, so what they have to do is start completely from scratch,” she said.

She said WAVI will help them get a bus or plane ticket. They also have an attorney in the building who’s there through grant funding through the Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, a state-wide organization that aide domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

Simmons said WAVI needs more funding for pro-bono attorneys because the one they have is essentially the only one West River.

“What happens is a client has been stripped of all their financial resources or their credit’s been trashed and they have no choice but to go back to their abuser,” she said. “That’s the whole point is an abuser’s going to take everything away from them including their identity. … We work hard to gain identity back and also show there’s a large support network in our community and we’re going to help you.”

She said they’ll work to get a client connected with housing, employment, credit repair services, therapy and whatever else the client’s needs are.

Simmons said every success story is different and based on an individual’s needs. It could be being safe for a few nights and getting away from an abuser, getting a bus ticket out of the area, finding employment and getting kids in school, and so much more.

WAVI also works to help victims of human trafficking. Simmons said they see cases out of camps from the Dakota Access Pipeline, during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and whenever there are large events in the area.

She said they also work with the school system on prevention, safe relationships, and recognizing the signs of not only abusive relationships but health relationships.

WAVI is located at 527 Quincy Street in Rapid City. Its office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. They can be reached at the office at 605-341-3292.

If you or someone you know may be a victim of domestic or sexual abuse, contact WAVI’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 605- 341-4808, or the toll-free crisis hotline at 1-888-716-9284. If an emergency, call 9-1-1.