Sanctuary, Inc.’s, information tour rolled on Tuesday afternoon in Trigg County, when Executive Director Heather Lancaster brought her message of facility relocation to the Cadiz Rotary Club.
Cadiz and its county are one of nine Pennyrile regional communities annually receiving their domestic violence survivor resources, and Lancaster noted that since 2023, Trigg County has logged more than 1,000 different services from the organization.
Looking to move from downtown Hopkinsville to an undisclosed, and already purchased, property just outside of city limits, Lancaster noted that the “hope” she and her board have is for construction to begin within the next year, or so, and to be completed in no longer than 36 months.
She added that potential approval on a 40-year USDA loan, combined with local and regional supports, will go a long way to bringing a new facility online.
Not only will the new facility be half the size, and reportedly twice as effective, as the current location, but Lancaster said perpetuity has been at the forethought of multiple discussions with law enforcement, regional stakeholders, utility companies and municipalities.
While domestic violence often gets shoehorned into “husband beats wife” or “boyfriend attacks girlfriend,” Lancaster said the subject remains “nuanced” and “difficult” in a number of circumstances. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans, she confirmed, has either experienced or knows someone who has handled a level of domestic violence in their lives, and the spectrum is wide.
Wives hurt husbands. Girlfriends hurt boyfriends. Mothers and fathers abuse children. Children abuse their elders. Extended family often turns to those closest to them. Acquaintances stalk co-workers.
Everyone, she said, is welcome through their doors.
Lancaster said while their shelter options are temporary, between 3-and-6 months, their full range of services help offer a lifetime of comfort and care — and a phasing transition back into a normal life and independent living.
Kelly Coker, manager of sexual assault programs, said such deviant acts and domestic violence “often go hand-in-hand,” but only 30% of those cases occur with strangers.
“Stranger danger,” she said, does occur, but it’s typically someone who is “much closer, and has more access and more familiarity” with the victim, and Lancaster agreed.
Sanctuary, Inc., has more than 30 staff members on its payroll, and it frequently receives state and federal assistance to operate within this region.
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