In a 2,700-square-mile area that covers the mountain areas of Jefferson County and all of Park County, there is one shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
served 428 people in 2012 on its crisis hotline and, of that number, 121 were victims of relationship violence.
But statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Justice say that 25 percent of women and 10 percent of men in the United States have been victims of domestic violence. By that count, 23,000 people in 9,600 households in the area Peaceworks serves will be victims of domestic violence.
“Your friends and your neighbors are victims,” Janet Shown, Peaceworks’ interim executive director, said.
Peaceworks is based in Bailey, which offers a mountain setting that some people might choose for a weekend or vacation destination. That setting, however, is what poses unique challenges when providing support and shelter to victims of domestic violence.
“Domestic violence really does thrive in silence,” Shown said. “Rural, isolated communities intensify that silence because you can’t hear your neighbors. That puts our folks in this area at a greater risk. We see a lot that, by the time people get to us, they are in a serious situation quite often.”
That many residents seek the mountain setting for its serenity and isolation can breed a mountain mentality that makes it difficult for victims to come forward and neighbors to speak out.
Distance makes it difficult for victims to leave a bad situation quickly, and economic issues are a major factor because a victim might not have a car or the gas with which to remove themselves. Then there are other characteristics, such as the prevalence of gun ownership and a strong passion for pets, which warrants the shelter’s Safe Pets program essential in many situations.
“We have foster homes for livestock and animals … so that barrier is lifted,” Shown said. Dogs, cats and small pets have space at the shelter.
Peaceworks offers a variety of services, ranging from emergency and transitional housing at the shelter to journaling and financial literacy workshops at its resale shop, the Mountain Peace Boutique, which opened earlier this year.
It also works closely with other service organizations in Evergreen and Conifer such as Evergreen Christian Outreach, Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity and Mountain Resource Center. All of these organizations will be collaborating for Colorado Gives Day, a Dec. 10 event that invites a flood of donations on a single day.
Peaceworks is always accepting donations of gas and grocery gift cards, prepaid credit and other gift cards, volunteers to attend the crisis hotline and other pro bono work, and other donations and time at its resale shop. Visit or call 303-838-7176 for more information.
Peaceworks’ 24-hour crisis hotline is staffed by volunteers 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 303-838-8181.
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com
