With financial assistance from the United Way, the Safe House also oversees an educational program that sends educators into schools to talk about healthy relationships. It also is involved in a “batterers intervention program”, a 26-week course over six months that works with offenders to give them guidance and tools to eliminate abuse from their behaviors. Hill said all offenders need accountability, but many experienced abuse themselves. She said offenders cannot end their probation or parole until they have completed the program. “So we’re trying to hit every aspect of it,” she said. “We want to prevent it, we want to treat it, and then we want to prevent it from happening again.” One of the most outspoken advocates of the Safe House, and of domestic violence awareness in general, is Leslie Washington. Washington has become a vocal activist against gun violence, but her personal story stemmed from domestic abuse she endured over nine years. “I am grateful for the Safe House, because without them, I wouldn't be sitting here today,” Washington said. “And they were just very respectful. It was a no-judgment zone when I was going through my divorce. They helped me file my divorce. They helped me get an ex parte order and put that in place. So they were just very helpful, and it was very comforting to be there. Of course, I had to put in the work, go to counseling, go to the group meetings, do what I needed in order for them to help me. So anytime that I can do stuff for the Safe House, I'm always willing to pay it forward, because they helped me. And I just want to say to Jessica and her team, thank you very much.” Washington’s abuse reached its boiling point when her husband repeatedly punched her in the face, saying he was going to kill her, while they were in their vehicle. He broke her orbital bone near her eye. He also destroyed her phone with a hammer. She credits her medical caretakers at DePaul Hospital for treating her with respect and for giving her the confidence to leave her husband. Though she lived in St. Louis, she found the Safe House through a Google search. She’s lived in Cape Girardeau ever since she arrived here in 2013. “I called the Safe House, and they were like, we have a bed. I said, well, I need to have a doctor's appointment Monday morning because I need to see if I have to have any type of eye surgery or anything. … So they told me what I needed to do, to go to the Greyhound station. I tell them, you know, what was going on. And I was able to go to the house and get some stuff and leave. I got on that Greyhound, and I never looked back.” Washington wants to make sure that abuse victims know that they can escape and recover, and find rewarding lives on their own after leaving a relationship. The 57-year-old is nearing a degree at Southeast Missouri State University in mass media and media management and a minor in sports management. She also serves in a leadership role in a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America ; and she serves on Cape Girardeau’s Gun Violence Task Force . She is undecided where she wants to land after she completes her degree. But she gets great satisfaction knowing she was able to finish her degree after all she’s been through. “People ask me, are you ever scared sharing your story?” she said. “I say no, because I feel if somebody is reading my article or seeing my interview, or just watching me, they can see that she's persevered and that she's gotten through this. So I feel that God is using me to share my story with others, because a lot of times, people don't want to talk about it. They're embarrassed, they're ashamed, they're like, why is this happening to me?” The Safe House of Southeast Missouri is funded mostly through grants. The organization administers about 16 grants at a time. It receives funding through HUD, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Social Services. It receives local funding from Cape Girardeau and Bollinger County through court fees and marriage license fees. The city governments in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City also contribute. The Safe House also generates funds through its thrift store and through the Vintage Now Fashion Show.
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