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CL-SH has been on a fast track since attorney Simms was named executive director. Her ambitious agenda, buoyed by an industrious, dedicated staff, has meant greater advocacy and more expansive victim services across the board. Nancy Malcor, Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Macon Judicial Circuit, called the agency an invaluable resource. "When prosecuting violent and traumatic crimes, I rely on their victims' services and on staff expertise, utilizing them as expert witnesses who can describe the cycle of abuse and victimology to juries. Even if it's just having someone sit with a victim during a trial, the compassionate care they provide to victims is an incalculable asset to any prosecution," she said. a woman living with her son and an abusive partner. After the death of her mother, a history of mental problems and a string of dangerous relationships, she was seeking refuge. e staff quarterbacked her care — sought the mental health diagnosis, counseling and medication the woman needed, helped her find housing when she was ready for independence and continues to offer counsel and support today. In Simms' experience, financial issues keep women in dangerous relationships. "Many victims, whether disadvantaged or well-off, have never experienced independence, so we offer lessons on financial planning and budgeting. People wonder why a wealthy woman comes to us when our services are free — because she has no access to money and gets only what he gives her. She may live in luxury, but her husband controls all of the household money, deepening his power over her," Simms said. "We send clients to Central Georgia Technical College to learn a skill and we pay the tuition. e staff helps them craft a resume and develop workplace skills to become employment ready, land a job and eventually find housing." Many women escape an abusive home with children in tow, so the shelter staff conducts parenting classes to help them re- establish a bond with their children. "Battered women might not have a normal parent-child relationship because they've been preoccupied with trying to keep the children safe from the violence," Simms said. "We create a home-like environment with positive activities these families have never experienced, like reading, cookouts, pizza parties, baking cookies and movie nights." e women learn to prepare nutritious, budget-conscious meals and create a recipe file for future use when they're ready to move out and live on their own. Navigating the painstaking process of rebuilding their lives while simultaneously ensuring their safety is a 24/7 job for the shelter team, which consists of a director, assistant director, child advocate, house manager and family advocate. Last spring, a single female, rebounding from a perilous relationship, sought sanctuary, as described by the CL-SH staff "to start her life over completely." Hired by a local hospital, she began digging out of debt and saving for an apartment. CL-SH furnished the apartment, provided deposit assistance THE SAFE HOUSE In 2009, CL-SH purchased a larger, more functional Safe House. "We house domestic violence victims, temporarily, who have nowhere to go, no financial resources and wouldn't be safe in the community," Simms said. Providing a short-term residence for victims of violence is the tip of the iceberg. Simms credited the staff with helping clients rebuild their lives, which she emphasized is a highly individualized process. "ey listen to the women they safeguard, teaching them basic life skills in order to make wise decisions," she said. In 2019, the shelter received a call from 34 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021