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Safe Haven of Greater Waterberry director outlines services and holiday "Adopt a Family" program
Summary
Britney Patrusi, director of programs and advocacy for Safe Haven of Greater Waterberry, describes the nonprofit's counseling, child-advocate and courthouse-advocate services, a 15-bed shelter (noted as housing up to 18 people), a thrift store that funds programs, and a donor-driven Adopt a Family holiday program.
Britney Patrusi, director of programs and advocacy for Safe Haven of Greater Waterberry, said the organization provides counseling and advocacy for victims of domestic and sexual violence and operates a shelter and thrift store that fund its services.
Patrusi told host Nancy Barrow of the CT Paid Leave Authority podcast that Safe Haven is "one of the 18 member centers of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence," and that the group's mission is to help people "achieve a life of stability" and regain resilience after trauma.
Patrusi outlined the nonprofit's core services: community walk-in counseling for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, designated child advocates to support children who have experienced abuse, and family-violence victim advocates stationed at the Waterberry courthouse to assist victims at arraignment and explain their rights. "We are on scene and ready to help right away so that victims understand their rights and are able to have an advocate with them to empower them for their voice," Patrusi said.
On shelter capacity, Patrusi said Safe Haven operates a 15-bed shelter and added that the organization "can house up to up to 18 people at a time in that shelter," language reflecting the transcript's dual figures. The group also runs a thrift store in Southbury whose proceeds "go 100% to our initiatives," Patrusi said, calling it a key funding source for programs.
Patrusi provided contact information for those seeking help or resources: the phone number given in the interview was 203-575388 (reported as spoken) and the organization's website is safehavengw.org. The host also directed listeners to the CT Paid Leave Authority podcast page at cpaidle.org for additional episodes of Five Minutes of Impact.
Looking ahead, Patrusi said Safe Haven's ongoing aim is to help clients live "a life that's trauma-free." She described a current Adopt a Family program that pairs donors with high-need families so donors can provide holiday gifts: "our most in need families adopted by donors and they're able to shop for Christmas gifts so that those families will not go without this holiday," she said.
Patrusi closed by urging listeners to keep resource information accessible: even if someone does not need services personally, "it's really important for all of us to brush up on our information, brush up on our resources so that when we do have somebody who needs that resource, we have it in our back pocket." The episode concluded with the host thanking Patrusi and directing listeners to the CT Paid Leave Authority podcast for more information.
