Tulsa’s Domestic Violence Intervention Services opens a new center to house abuse victims.
The 80-bed shelter and 20 apartments have been in the works for nearly a decade. DVIS Director Tracy Lyall said she saw the old shelter as a college student working there part-time in the 1990s.
"If you'd asked me then if I would've come back and seen myself in this role and a part of something so big, I probably would have said no," Lyall said. "But it's really been a dream come true for me, professionally and personally."
The new shelter has areas for victims of human trafficking, male victims of abuse, and victims’ dogs and cats.
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said when he joined the force in 1969, officers had no resources to help victims of abuse.
"What it will do for us is know that we put them someplace where they're really going to get help, and they're going to be able to transition out of that violent situation," Jordan said.
In 2014, DVIS housed more than 500 women and children affected by domestic violence and abuse.
The group began a capital campaign three years ago to pay for the land and brand-new buildings. Campaign chair Lee Eslicker said they started with a goal of $19 million.
"We're now at $25 million, once we decided that we had the land and we're actually going to build a new counseling facility as well," Eslicker said. "So we are within about $2 million of finishing the campaign up."
Eslicker said more than 100 donors have contributed so far. The previous emergency shelter is almost 30 years old.
Update, Jan. 9, 2016: The original photo and caption for this story were changed at the request of DVIS. The organization didn't want the name of the shelter to be publicly available.
