Latest news with #ASafePlace
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County domestic abuse shelter is now pet-friendly; ‘The need for this … program has always been there'
Rebeca Groh said it took her seven years to leave an abusive relationship. Hers was a financial-abuse situation in which, over time, she said her fiancé diminished her capacity to support herself and she was forced to depend on him. For example, the mother of three said he was in charge of her disability assistance. 'He was never gonna change,' Groh said. 'I was tired of living that way.' Having had no economic resources for so long, Groh reached out to A Safe Place for help. The domestic abuse center was able to provide her shelter for her, her daughters and another important family member — her service dog Gigi. In the past, that would not have happened. Without the resources pets need at the shelter, clients had to board their furry companions at a different location. They were safe, but separated. Now, through the Safe Paws pet shelter program, clients have another option. They're able to be housed together at the agency's emergency and transitional shelters. They're provided with items pets need, and they have access to basic veterinary care. That is significant because research shows that perpetrators of domestic abuse often exploit the bond a victim can have with their pet. 'Abusers use beloved pets to control, manipulate, frighten and punish their victims,' said Christine Lucheck, chief of residential services at A Safe Place. According to the National Link Coalition, a nonprofit agency that serves as a global resource center on the link between animal abuse and humans, in 2021, 97% of callers to the National Domestic Violence hotline said that keeping their pets with them is an important factor in deciding whether or not to seek shelter. Their reporting also showed that 50% of the callers said they would not consider a shelter for themselves if they couldn't take their pets with them. 'We've been missing a huge population,' Lucheck said. 'The need for this type of program has always been there.' So much so that a significant provision of the bipartisan Pet and Women Safety Act, signed into law in 2018, included a grant program for entities that provide shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence survivors. It's thanks to that grant that A Safe Place was able to fully launch the pet shelter program. The $400,000 grant allowed the agency to modify space in its emergency shelter, where two bedrooms were made pet-friendly and another area was converted to have a wash station. Outside, there will soon be a dog run. At their transitional housing apartments, pets are also welcome. By providing these secure spaces for both humans and their pets, the Safe Paws program chips away at one of the many roadblocks clients face when they're trying to escape domestic abuse. Even in cases where victims have escaped their abusers, perpetrators can threaten that they'll harm or kill the pet if they don't come back. Violence is also inflicted on pets. In the fall of 2023, when the program was just starting, Lucheck said a woman escaped a traumatic domestic violence situation and arrived at A Safe Place with her 14-year-old Boston Terrier. The client received therapeutic support and over time began healing from the extensive physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that was inflicted by her partner, Lucheck said. Unfortunately, the abuse hadn't only been directed at her. 'It was clear that (the dog) had repeatedly suffered violent treatment, which included being thrown against walls, kicked and shouted at, which left him with intense anxiety and a deep fear of unfamiliar people,' Lucheck said. In addition to trauma, the dog suffered from severe dental issues; teeth were missing or falling out, likely due to years of dental neglect or knocked out during episodes of abuse, she said. The dog received dental care, a full wellness evaluation and vaccinations. Beyond medical treatment, A Safe Place also provided the client with essential pet items. Lucheck said the two are now both healing. Another story that Lucheck shares is of a touching moment when a client who hadn't been allowed by her abuser to groom her pet was overcome with emotion when she could finally bathe her dog at the shelter. Helping families escape domestic abuse has many dimensions. An alarming connection between pet abuse and domestic violence puts a spotlight on the cycle of abuse. 'Children who have been maltreated, or have witnessed violence, are more likely to abuse animals,' said Claire Coughlin, director of the Companion Animal Program at the Animal Welfare Institute. The Washington, D.C.-based organization studies that link as part of its mission to alleviate animal suffering caused by people. Couhlin said child abuse and animal abuse frequently occur in the same family, so it makes sense to have wraparound services and resources for all who suffer this abuse. The Pet and Women Safety Act gives law enforcement an additional tool to protect victims and their pets from their abusers. It allows for orders of protection to also include animals. Lucheck said the community can help by learning about the link between animal abuse and domestic violence and spreading awareness. People can also donate pet items, such as leashes, potty pads, metal bowls, treats, toys and pet supply store gift cards during a pet donation campaign that runs through May.
Express Tribune
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Lil Baby ranks his top five Atlanta rappers
Lil Baby has set the internet abuzz after revealing his ranking of the top five Atlanta rappers during an appearance on the DeepCut podcast. The WHAM rapper, who has been making the rounds promoting his latest projects, was asked to rank himself alongside four other prominent Atlanta artists. However, rather than placing himself at the top, he humbly dropped himself to the fifth spot. "That's hard cause I don't know how to rank myself," Lil Baby admitted before ranking the other four rappers. He placed Playboi Carti at fourth, 21 Savage at third, and Young Thug at second, while giving the top spot to his frequent collaborator, Future. "Future, Slime, Savage then Carti," he reaffirmed. "For sure." The ranking immediately sparked controversy online, with fans debating whether Future deserved the number-one spot over Young Thug, who has played a pivotal role in Lil Baby's career. Others chimed in, arguing that legendary Atlanta rap groups like Migos and OutKast should have been considered. Another major talking point was Gunna's omission from the list. While Lil Baby and Gunna were once close, their relationship reportedly soured following the YSL legal case, which led many to label Gunna a snitch. While Baby has not directly criticized his former Drip Harder collaborator, he has made his stance clear. "I'm always gonna look at certain stuff a certain way," he said on A Safe Place podcast. "It boils down to what we rapping about… We can't rap about that if you did that. If I was making Christmas music, then I don't give a damn what you did." Lil Baby's decision to put Future at number one may also hint at an upcoming collaboration. The rapper previously revealed that he and Future had nearly completed a joint album before Young Thug's return shifted plans. "Me and Future was working on a joint tape," he told Spotify in January. "We damn near got the joint tape done. Now [Thug] came home and he ain't going for that. He like, 'Sht.' And it actually [was] Thug's idea."
Chicago Tribune
12-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan's Wraparound Center adds third social service provider; ‘Our focus is molding boys into men'
After seven months of operation and more than a 30% growth rate since late November, the Wraparound Center operating at the future Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 administration building on Washington Street is adding a third social service provider. GRO Community began working with students at two district middle schools in the fall providing mental health services for boys and men. It will join A Safe Place and the Community Youth Network (CYN) as service providers at the Wraparound Center. They are ready to start. Bridget Dotson, the Wraparound Center's director, said GRO provides an additional dimension to the sexual abuse and domestic violence counseling provided by A Safe Place, and general mental health as well as substance abuse therapy coming from CYN. Participants are waiting. 'GRO is already in some of our middle schools, so that connection is made,' Dotson said. 'We have students waiting for the approval tonight to refer them to GRO. We utilize our outreach. They have their system already in place.' The District 60 Board of Education unanimously approved GRO's entry to the Wraparound Center Tuesday at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan, giving it the opportunity to expand its services beyond its two-middle-school base. Dotson said GRO fills a special niche in the community which it demonstrated working initially with students at Robert Abbott Middle School in the fall, and then with youngsters at Edith Smith Middle School as well. 'Their specialty is developing boys into men,' Dotson said. 'They are already known in the community, and they will enable us to enlarge the scope of our work in the community and the scope of the Wraparound Center.' Already operating in Ohio, Michigan and Texas, as well as Illinois, Rashaud Media, GRO's regional director for Illinois, said Waukegan is one of five locations in the state. The others are Rockford, Peoria, Carbondale and Cairo. 'Our focus is molding boys into men,' Media said. 'We work primarily with Black and Brown men, as well as men as a whole. We take a holistic approach. We go to basketball games. We just took them to a Bulls game. We held a job fair.' Jaimon Barconia, a therapist working for GRO in Waukegan, said the organization generally helps boys and men from 'low socioeconomic communities that are struggling with behavioral issues or the criminal justice system.' Different approaches are used. 'Therapy doesn't have to be conducted in an office,' Barconia said. 'Therapy can be conducted in a park. Therapy can be conducted in a nature preserve. We can walk around and participate in community support intervention.' Barconia, along with District 60 board members Carolina Fabian and Christine Lensing, all said breaking through the stigma attached to mental health treatment is important for the well-being of the community. Barconia said the makeup of GRO's Waukegan therapists helps remove barriers. 'The participants are responsive to our services,' Barconia said. : That is important because therapy has a stigma. Therapy has a taboo. We're able to break those stigmas, break those barriers, by them seeing someone who looks like them.' Lensing said she is hopeful the GRO approach will appeal to all students the way it has at the two middle schools. She believes the approach the organization uses will help remove the stigma attached to mental health treatment. 'With this vibe and this approach, hopefully that resonates with our community and they actually begin to seek out your resources because there is a huge stigma and we're trying to break past that,' Lensing said. Fabian agreed there is a stigma attached to mental health treatment, but she said as people started to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, they realized the need to confront feelings and emotions was more widespread. 'There is a stigma,' Fabian said. 'I think with COVID it highlighted everyone needed some mental wellness in their life and were more mindful. One highlight of going through the pandemic is we're able to see more therapeutic services and highlighting that need.' From the time the Wraparound Center opened over the summer until late November, Dotson said it helped 54 participants. As the middle of February approaches, the number has reached the low 80s. 'This is great,' Dotson said. 'The community is becoming more informed and, as they do, I believe our numbers will continue to grow. The majority of people we see are students, but we do see some adults in the community.'
