Southbury Community Thrift Shop

In the February 2000, Shirley Martin approached Safe Haven with the idea of opening a shelter for battered women in Southbury.  Shirley and her friend Dorrie Johnson had long been social activists in their community.  They were aware that battering crosses all socio-economic lines. They also recognized that battered women from affluent and middle-class homes are often afraid to seek services because of embarrassment or loss in their standard of living.

 Shirley and Dorrie convened a group of concerned citizens to examine the most effective way to combat this problem. The group included representatives from the clergy, police, education, courts and social work. After six months, the members determined that the first step would be to establish an office in Southbury that would offer counseling and advocacy services for both victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The office was placed in an office park to assure client's anonymity and safety.

 Shirley and Dorrie were actively involved in the start-up activities. They worked to find appropriate office space, enlisted community support for donations and completely furnished the new office. 

 On January 2, 2001, Safe Haven opened the Southbury office at 88 Main St. S. Suite 203B. Office hours are Monday -Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Since opening, the Southbury office has served 175 clients in the Southbury area.  The services include crisis intervention, individual counseling, legal advocacy, community education and information and referral

 For the past three years, the Southbury Community Thrift Shop has been a strong financial supporter of the Southbury office.  Twenty percent of the annual Thrift Shop profits are donated to support office. In addition, the Southbury Community Thrift Shop Board acts as an advisory committee for Safe Haven in exploring other resources and marketing strategies.