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Local nonprofit REACH seeks community support to provide 48-hour emergency housing for survivors
Summary
On Feb. 10 Mercy Stout and Stacy Baron introduced REACH survivor services to the Kane County Commission, describing a locally based victim-support nonprofit with a 48-hour emergency housing program, coordination with Dove Center and preliminary local statistics showing 405 law-enforcement calls from Jan. 2020'June 2025. Presenters asked for donations, volunteers and commission support.
Mercy Stout and Stacy Baron asked the Kane County Commission on Feb. 10 to support a newly formed local nonprofit, REACH survivor services, that will provide victim-survivor support and a short-term emergency housing program for people fleeing domestic or sexual violence.
Stout, who said she has contracted with the Dove Center since 2017, told commissioners the group has incorporated, obtained 501(c)(3) status and is pursuing an MOU with the Dove Center to transfer and coordinate services locally. "We want services to be more local and applicable to our population," Stout said, describing transportation challenges to St. George and cultural barriers that suppress reporting in rural communities.
Stout provided preliminary law-enforcement numbers requested for the county covering Jan. 2020 through June 2025: a total of 405 combined calls, including 307 domestic-violence calls, 57 sexual-assault calls and 41 other offense calls. She emphasized those figures likely understate need because underreporting is common in rural survivor-service work.
The signature program REACH described is a short-term emergency housing network that would place survivors in vetted short-term rentals or vacation homes for a minimum of 48 hours and up to two weeks while they stabilize and make next-step plans. Hosts would apply through a Google form, sign a lawyer-reviewed contract and be paid cleaning fees; donated nights would generate tax receipts for hosts. The group also plans to distribute hygiene and comfort kits and to keep local donations and any grant funding in-county.
Stout said REACH has begun local fundraising and outreach to state organizations (UOVC, UDVC, UQASA) for recognition and future grant opportunities, but that the next major grant cycle is not until 2027. She asked the commission and community members for support "in whatever way that might look like," and answered commissioners' questions about donations, intake logistics and confidentiality.
Stacy Baron, who has worked as a victim advocate, added that REACH will coordinate with county victim services staff and local shelters rather than replace them, and affirmed that counseling records would be kept confidential absent a court order. "We love Devon and we enjoy working with her," Baron said, referring to the county's victim-services contact.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote on funding during the meeting but thanked presenters and encouraged community engagement. Stout said the group has a dedicated voicemail number for REACH and is collecting donations and volunteer support while pursuing sustainable local funding.
