Safe Haven served 899 people in 2025 and answered 7,570 calls to its crisis line, according to figures shared at the organization’s annual Stronger Together luncheon. The number of people served rose by 200 from the previous year, while calls were up from 5,062 in 2024.
Held Oct. 29 in partnership with the Bulloch County Family Violence Task Force, the luncheon brought together survivors, law enforcement officers, elected officials, prosecutors and community advocates. The gathering also remembered 131 Georgians who died from domestic violence. Five were from Safe Haven’s six-county service area: two from Bulloch County, two from Effingham County and one from Jenkins County.
Safe Haven’s 2025 Impact Report recorded 54,691 units of service. Among them were 6,909 nights in emergency shelter and 12,292 nights of safety through outreach housing programs. The organization also reported serving 20,727 meals, accompanying survivors to court 142 times, providing 36 emergency or prepaid cellphones, helping 78 people with emergency medical or dental needs, and caring for 89 pets.
The report estimated that operating the emergency shelter cost about $2,180 a day in 2025, compared with $2,012 in 2024. Safe Haven Public Relations and Legal Services Director Kim Billings told attendees the organization also supports survivors who do not stay in its shelter. Services include safety planning, legal advocacy, court accompaniment, housing and transportation assistance, children’s services, support groups and pet care.
Safe Haven serves Bulloch, Screven, Jenkins, Effingham, Candler and Washington counties. The organization says its services are free and confidential, and its crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (912) 764-4605. Billings noted that domestic violence can involve intimidation, stalking, emotional abuse, financial control and isolation, not only physical abuse.
A survivor who spoke at the luncheon, whose name was withheld, described how her teenage son’s call to law enforcement helped the family leave an abusive situation and connect with Safe Haven. The family received emergency shelter, basic necessities, counseling and help with the legal process. The speaker said the organization’s support helped her family move toward greater independence.
Other speakers addressed prevention and the work of public agencies. Georgia Southern University Police Chief Trey Drawdy discussed dating-violence prevention, campus reporting and training, including the university’s Red Flag Campaign. State Rep. Lehman Franklin praised Safe Haven’s work and offered to help coordinate a visit to the state Capitol so supporters could advocate for domestic violence resources. Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar offered the city’s assistance to the organization.
Assistant District Attorney Donna Black described domestic violence cases as often involving patterns of behavior and said victims may hesitate to take part in prosecutions because of financial dependence, shared children, fear of retaliation or other circumstances. Heather Rogers, victim services director for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, said her department had assisted more than 1,800 crime victims over the past year.
Bulloch County State Court Solicitor General Judith Oglesby said her office handles about 200 to 300 cases a year with family violence designations. She also raised concerns about reductions in federal Victims of Crime Act funding, known as VOCA, which supports some victim assistance programs. Billings encouraged attendees to keep discussing domestic violence and consider participating in the Bulloch County Family Violence Task Force beyond October’s awareness activities.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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