SVA with WCCO

By Mark Freie

SEE FULL STORY, HERE.

A non-profit helping domestic violence survivors and family members in Scott and Carver counties expects to move into its new Shakopee location by early next year.

Southern Valley Alliance is moving out of its Belle Plain facility after 41 years to a new location at 103 Third Avenue East in downtown Shakopee.

"We've seen our demographics change and needs for service increase," said Executive Director Christie Larson. "Especially over the last couple of years, calls to our crisis line have more than doubled and just all of our services overall have increased in need. We really thought about where we could best serve the clients and determined Shakopee is in the central location of the two counties."

Larson said the new location puts SVA closer to the government center and courts in Scott County, while remaining just about 10 minutes away from the Carver County government center and courthouse.

"We are just really excited because of the location," added Larson. "Being in downtown Shakopee means we're really close to public transportation, county services, employment opportunities, and other resources. Being centralized will have a great impact for our clients and being able access our services and services from partner organizations."

The facility, expected to open in early 2024, will feature client and advocate meeting areas, a children's play area, a mother's room, and areas for tranquility and healing.

"During the pandemic we kind of didn't know what to expect, but we were anticipating somewhat of an increase in our services and calls to the crisis line. We saw a dip when the stay-at-home orders were in place. Nationally, people were stuck at home with their abusers and didn't necessarily have the ability to call into crisis lines or connect with support services in their communities. We saw that as well."

As stay-at-home orders ended, SVA saw a dramatic increase in people accessing their services.

"I think a lot of it ties back into mental health issues," Larson said. "A lot of those were exacerbated during the pandemic. There was a lot of stress around finances, work, childcare, and kid-related things. I think all of that cumulative effect really impacted the numbers of clients we're seeing with all of our services, including our crisis line."

The project is currently at 30 percent of its $1.8 million fundraising goal.

"We are a small community-based agency, so we really rely on our community for support," Larson said. "One of the biggest challenges with this building is the cut in government funding. Obviously, funding for this project has been solely provided by donations, grants, and various fundraising efforts in our community. It is scary as we move forward with some of the proposed funding cuts at the federal level and how that can impact domestic violence service programs, not only in our state, but nationally."