POV’s Security & Safety First Fund

Two weeks ago, the tranquility of our West San Gabriel Valley crisis center was disrupted by a man forcing entry into our offices looking for his wife. He brandished a knife, threatened to hurt himself and then did so by stabbing himself in the neck. The staff immediately went on lockdown, the Pasadena police were contacted and arrived, tased the individual and arrested him. The office became a crime scene and our staff, terrified and terrorized, became victim-witnesses. 

I wrote to you with this news last week and since then many of you have contacted us sending words of support and care, asking how you can help. There is a way. We have a great need to enhance all aspects of security and to ensure the restoration of a sense of safety for the staff and for our clients and their families. To that end we are creating the POV Security & Safety First Fund to raise the necessary funds to support this effort. Right now, we are contracting with a security company to provide a security guard, we are researching an enhanced security system in our suite, and we are engaging with the building landlord regarding overall security improvements on the premises. 

The staff at POV do extraordinary work in counseling, case management, advocacy, 24 hour emergency services, court accompaniments, and safety planning for our clients and community. We provide trauma-informed and resiliency services in every aspect of our work. To be fully trauma informed as an organization also means that there is an internal focus. What POV provides to survivors we must also provide for our staff. Sometimes and more often than not, the healers need healing. 

Enhancing safety for all is essential as we figure out how to live in this period of advanced violence with mass shootings happening in the most ordinary and pedestrian places. Violence in the home and violence in the streets and in the wider geography of where we all live our lives is all too common. Please consider making a gift to our Security & Safety First Fund. While violence hit close to home and landed right inside our walls, we will not be dissuaded from our mission of building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. We are still here, we are not going anywhere and our staff will bounce back stronger than ever. Like survivors do, we will become stronger in the broken places. You can help us by donating now. We appreciate you and on behalf of the staff and volunteers at POV, we thank you so much for your support.

Patti GIggans
Executive Director/CEO

Christina Mauro
President, Board of Directors