Mitchell County SafePlace

We’re hiring a Shelter Site & Services Manager!

This position plays an important role in supporting survivors, coordinating shelter services, providing advocacy and case management, and helping with prevention education and outreach in our community.

We’re looking for someone compassionate, organized, reliable, and committed to serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

For more details and to apply, visit the job posting on Indeed.

https://www.indeed.com/job/shelter-site-services-manager-53c08f97c736cd4a

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Shopping at SafePlace Thrift is a great, easy way to support survivors 💜

Acting starts with understanding risk.

Sexual violence is shaped by environments, not isolated events. When victim-blaming, harmful norms, and lack of accountability are tolerated, the conditions that allow violence to continue stay in place.

Prevention is cultural. Culture is set in everyday spaces: relationships, workplaces, faith communities, schools, and social circles.

So the question: what can I do? How can I help create change? You can decide what you normalize and what you won’t tolerate. When enough individuals make those choices consistently, it shifts the expectations of a community and culture changes.

Change happens when individuals stop letting those attitudes go unchallenged and instead set a clear standard: respect, accountability, and belief in survivors.

"We shouldn't question survivors. We should question why we were taught to doubt them."

Sexual violence is widely underreported. Research estimates that only 20–30% of survivors report it to law enforcement. Of those who do report, there is often little or no physical evidence, which can lead to little or no accountability for the abuser. False reports of sexual violence are rare, estimated at around 2–8%, meaning the vast majority of reports are truthful.

Survivors who come forward are often asked to tell their story over and over again- to officers, in court, and to people who question what they went through. Many also face pressure to stay quiet, with messages like “I wish she would just move on,” which can make it even harder to speak up or continue forward.

The decision to report or not to report is not simple. Survivors often weigh safety, fear, shame, relationships, and how they will be treated if they speak out. The emotional and mental toll of that decision is heavy and not something most people see or understand without the full picture.

When people automatically doubt survivors, they aren’t being careful or objective. They’re repeating a bias that already discourages reporting in the first place.

Believing survivors is not about ignoring facts. It’s about not letting stigma decide whose voice is taken seriously.