Looking to the future
Safe Passage readies
multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign for new domestic violence shelter By: D.M. Herra
W
hen Nancy Prosel joined the Safe Passage board of directors about three years ago, one of the first things she wanted to do was tour the safe house for survivors of domestic violence. She saw survivors and families who were safe, who were beginning to heal – and who were sharing five bedrooms and two bathrooms among 25 people. “The shelter is more than 100 years old,” Safe Passage Executive Director Mary Ellen Schaid said. “It was clear from the beginning of my time, around five years ago, that it was overcrowded. It was not the ideal environment you need for people that are in crisis.” This summer, the board is preparing to launch a multimillion-dollar capital campaign to relocate Safe Passage to the former site of the DeKalb Clinic, in the 200 block of Franklin Street in DeKalb. The clinic building will be torn down and replaced with a contemporary 18 | JUNE 2020 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
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