MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Tuesday morning, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais announced that the city and community partners have obtained $600,000 in unobligated ARPA funds for the purchase of the building where Emily’s Place is housed.
Emily’s Place was founded in 1988 in an undisclosed location thanks to a donation by two individuals. Today it is operated by the Manchester YWCA as a shelter for individuals and their children fleeing from domestic or sexual violence, one of 11 such shelters in New Hampshire.
The shelter was named after a woman who faced a lifetime of violence and still chose to challenge her abusive husband, in doing so standing against the violence and oppression of all sexual abuse survivors.
The YWCA had operated Emily’s Place in conjunction with REACH until July 1, when REACH connected with Bridges: Domestic Sexual Violence Support and eventually filed to become an independent 501(c)(3) to serve sexual violence victims in the Manchester area. Following the end of the YWCA/REACH partnership, the shelter was in danger of closing just as the YWCA’s women’s homeless shelter on Brook Street had closed last year.
“Domestic violence is an abhorrent crime and we must be proactive in protecting those who suffer from this abuse,” said Ruais. “That’s why shelters like Emily’s Place play such a critical role in providing crisis services and a safe place to stay.”
“When there was the possibility we could lose a critical emergency shelter, the Governor’s Office, GOFERR, the State Legislature and the Executive Council each did their part to ensure that funding would be available so that victims and children fleeing domestic violence would not be displaced,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Director of Public Affairs at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “We’re especially grateful to Mayor Ruais for his advocacy efforts on this project and for understanding the importance of maintaining life-saving services for victims of abuse in the Manchester community.”