TN SR0344

Senate Resolution honors SafeSpace, an East Tennessee domestic violence organization, on its 50th anniversary of serving victims and their children

SafeSpace began in 1976 as a grassroots network of women sheltering abuse victims in their homes in the Appalachian region, formally incorporating as a nonprofit in 1981

Organization opened its first shelter on June 25, 1985, and was a founding member of the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

SafeSpace secured Tennessee's first rural order of protection and became a model for rural shelter services statewide

Services include emergency shelter, crisis intervention, counseling, court advocacy, resource referrals, and educational outreach programs