For 40 years, SAAFE House and its team of advocates and volunteers have helped numerous people overcome sexual assault and domestic violence and rebuild their lives away from the trauma of abusive relationships.
SAAFE House is more than a shelter or a crisis intervention agency. It is an advocate for the family. It’s more than an urgent safe haven during a time of need. The agency’s goal is to come alongside women, men, and children in the community with resources to help them get back on their feet and live abuse-free lives.
Violence can affect anyone. SAAFE House provides crisis intervention, advocacy, and support services empowering survivors to seek new beginnings and rebuild lives free from the effects of violence. The agency provides services to all victims of family and sexual violence and assists clients in healing with former and current victimizations alike. Domestic violence or sexual assault is not a victim’s fault. The victim doesn’t have to be alone to find a way past the trauma.
Executive Director Tracy Stoudt said the organization is planning for the future, which includes improved client services, trauma-informed care and putting clients first while working to educate the community.
“I wish I could just close down, but that won’t happen,” she said. “The numbers keep going up; last year we helped 440 people, and so far, this year we’re at 540. The sad part is that 200 of those are children.”
Board President Sue Badrak said there is a great amount of abuse and violence, and it seems to be getting worse in the country as times get tenser.
“We’re serving more people than we ever have, and we’re working hard to serve everyone we can,” Badrak said. “When we work with people in the community, we find everyone knows someone that has suffered some sort of violence. We’re helping people transition to safer environments and become successful and independent.”
Stoudt said people think SAAFE House services are just for women, but those women oftentimes bring children with them; she also said when the organization provides community outreach, people are amazed at the services we provide.
“They come to us with a Walmart bag and leave with a life on the mend,” she said. “We enable them to succeed. We don’t turn people away; we give them some kind of service, even if it’s a referral to another agency.”
SAAFE House also is looking for area residents who are passionate about its mission to help the organization continue to grow and would like to see people from its service area — Polk, Trinity, San Jacinto and Walker counties — come forward as volunteers from the communities that are served.
Stoudt said the agency is thankful for the continued support in the counties they serve that allows SAAFE House to help others.
“It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, because the decisions I make will make a difference in people’s lives every day,” she said.
Badrak said the help that the community provides is essential to their mission.
“We need volunteers, donations, and things for the shop to help us continue,” Badrak said. “We’re not just helping victims, we’re helping the community as well, with education and by developing productive members of society.”
An Appreciation and Celebration gathering will be held in October to celebrate the SAAFE House anniversary.
In 1984, SAAFE House was initially organized as the Walker County Family Violence Council to provide services for residential victims, via an emergency shelter, or outreach for victims of family violence. The program began providing these basic services in October 1984 through the Good Shepherd Mission. The WCFVC was awarded a state grant in September 1985, and the first executive director was hired in October 1985.
The council began using local hotels and the local mission for emergency shelter services. Later, other services such as legal advocacy, police assistance, childcare, emergency assistance, medical care, counseling, referrals to appropriate social service agencies, and provisions to assist victims in obtaining secure and independent lifestyles.
In April 1986, office space and a shelter facility were donated by business members of the Huntsville community, allowing 27 shelter clients, 33 non-shelter clients, and 141 crisis line calls to receive assistance from the agency. In 1988, a sexual assault program was added to the list of available services.
To more accurately reflect the expanded services available to the community, the agency’s name was changed the following year to SAAFE House, which stands for “Sexual Assault and Abuse Free Environment.”
The successful growth of SAAFE House is due to hundreds of volunteer hours. The agency had only 10 regular volunteers initially; there are now more than 150 volunteers who participate throughout the year. As client needs continue to grow and the demand for services becomes increasingly evident, the need for volunteers also becomes more pressing.
In 1992, the agency expanded services to reach victims in Polk County. Community members began organizing a Polk County office which started in the courthouse building, providing services one afternoon a week. Over time, the community again rallied support for SAAFE House, and office space was donated, allowing for further expansion of services in Polk County.
In 1994, renovations began with the donation of a house; along with other community efforts, a second shelter soon became a reality. The Polk County office is located in Livingston and has room for donations for client needs and space for individual and group services.
In 2006, SAAFE House saw a need and established an office in Trinity County. In 2017, the Trinity office was moved to Mickey’s House, a building dedicated to allowing the non-profit groups of Trinity to have free office space and places to meet. One full-time staff member occupies the Trinity office, but all resources of the agency are completely available to clients in that area.
The Walker County office, located in Huntsville, moved to the current location, a former church, which doubled the space available for client services. A resale shop, Elite Repeat, made its debut in May 2004 on the Huntsville Courthouse Square, but eventually moved in next door to the SAAFE House office, on the corner of Sam Houston Avenue and 15th Street, for expansion purposes.
Other offices include:
(936) 594-6415
(936) 284-5560
(936) 284-5550
More than just a shelter, SAAFE House offers a variety of programs and services to help victims and families transition into safe homes and safe lives, such as two shelters, four outreach offices, community education, legal advocacy, and transportation.
Elite Repeat is essential to SAAFE House as funds raised through the resale shop are used to offset the cost of operations that grant funds do not cover. Clients visit the shop for free clothing and other necessities, and canned and boxed food items are available.
For more information, visit saafehouse.org.
SAAFE House
1426 Sam Houston Ave, Huntsville, TX 77340
(936) 291-3529
Postcards Magazine
936-293-1188
PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
