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Sheriff's victim services presents proposal for county safe house, seeks grant funding
Summary
Utah County Sheriff’s Office victim services described a proposed locked safe house next to the Provo special victims unit to provide legal, shelter and supportive services and outlined a grant timeline and partnership plans.
Lauren Davis, a victim advocate with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, presented the office’s 2024 caseload and a proposal to establish a county safe house for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault during the Feb. 12 commission meeting.
Davis told commissioners the victim services team served 929 victims last year, with domestic or family violence the largest case type. She said the proposed safe house would be a locked, victim-only site located next to the special victims unit in Provo and would provide a centralized set of services — legal aid for protective orders and civil matters, community victim advocates, volunteer outreach, childcare help and a criminal-justice support group.
Davis said her supervisor, Victim Services Supervisor Christiana Wagstaff, is preparing a grant application and is working with the Children’s Justice Center (CJC), the nonprofit The Refuge (which serves sexual-assault and domestic-violence victims), and other partners to develop the program. Davis described the model as similar to the CJC’s coordinated approach but focused on adult domestic-violence victims. She said intake specialists would screen and triage clients and the goal was to offer services at no cost to victims.
On a project timeline presented to commissioners, staff are working with Ben Benoit on logistics; a grant application was to be completed and submitted in the spring with a decision expected by mid-summer if approved. Davis asked commissioners for awareness and support as the office pursues grant funding; she did not request immediate budget authority or a vote during the presentation.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions; no formal motion or county appropriation was made during the meeting. Davis said staff view the safe house as filling an equity gap in victim services across the county and described partnerships with local nonprofits and program models (including an ICAN-like case-management approach) to reduce homelessness risk for victims.
