WRAP Putting New Shelter in Gibson County
TRENTON, Tenn. – For the first time in two years, Gibson County will open a shelter to help men and women who are victims of domestic violence. Workers with the Wo/Men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program said it is time to open another shelter, after dealing with hundreds of domestic violence cases in Gibson County alone just last year. “A lot of times when people think shelter, they think of something very clinical, not very familiar,” said shelter coordinator Noelle Turner. “But with this house you’re able to feel more at home, a little more at ease.” That is something domestic violence survivor Patricia McDaniel said she wishes she had nearly 30 years ago when she was abused. At that time, she said there were no shelters, and she had nowhere to go. “That would’ve been a blessing,” McDaniel said. “A bed to lay down on. Some food in the house. We had nothing. We had no telephone. We had nothing but a carpeted floor to try to sleep on. And when you’re so terrified, you can’t sleep. It was a very devastating experience.” And she is glad Gibson County is getting its own shelter. “I know the fear they go through,” McDaniel said. “I know how they feel. I’ve been there. I’ve been terrified.” WRAP said right now the closest shelter for Gibson County residents is in Jackson, and that is not always convenient. “It’s stayed pretty full,” Turner said. “We felt that another shelter was going to be needed in order to try and help serve the population better.” Both McDaniel and Turner said they hope this new shelter will encourage domestic violence victims to come forward and get help. “I feel that it’s really going to help them understand that it’s OK to come forward, that it’s OK to talk to somebody about it because we’re going to be here for them,” Turner said. The shelter will open in October.
