For many families whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Katrina, the effort to relocate and recover has been a difficult and arduous experience, to say the least.

Women struggling to leave an abusive relationship, however, have the added burden of knowing there are fewer resources available to them since the storm.

Two programs operated in St. Tammany by the YWCA of Greater New Orleans, a rape crisis center and a battered women’s shelter, closed their doors in Katrina’s wake. The group’s main office in downtown New Orleans has only recently received funding to be rebuilt, so the chances of resuming operations on the Northshore in the near future are slim. That leaves Safe Harbor.

A member of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the nonprofit agency has been serving the needs of women and children who are victims of domestic abuse since 1992. They provide housing and counseling services, including crisis intervention and legal advocacy.

Previously located in Slidell, Safe Harbor was forced to pull up stakes last September and move across the parish when the owner of the building they leased decided to sell the property.

“We have to be available 24/7, and we had to take whatever was on hand so there wasn’t any disruption in service,” said Program Director Ann Winstead. “The only building that was ready was half the size of the one we had in Slidell.”

The agency sheltered 63 women and 48 children last year, and at 2,500 square feet, the new facility is cramped. According to Winstead, if space is not available the woman will be referred to another shelter in a different area, or in some cases will be relocated out of state. In addition to space, reliable transportation is also an issue. The lack of public transit in the parish makes it difficult for victims to get the help they need. In addition, a van donated to Safe Harbor a few years ago doesn’t have a working horn or blinkers.

“These women have enough problems without having to worry about being in an accident,” said Winstead.

Funding, an important piece of the puzzle even before the storm, is even tighter these days. Winstead said that while her program has relied heavily on state grants in the past, donations from the community provide the biggest source of support.

State funding has steadily started to dry up in recent years, however. The budget for the Governor’s Office on Women’s Policy, of which 87 percent goes to fund local domestic violence programs, was cut by more than $200,000 in 2006. Add to the increase in cases across the parish, and the picture looks grim. In Slidell alone, police responded to 424 domestic violence calls with 89 arrests in 2006. The number of calls increased to 453 in 2007, while arrests jumped to 132.

While Safe Harbor looks for a larger permanent facility, Rotary of Slidell president Vicky Magas hopes to start a new program in Slidell.

Magas, who assumed her role as president in June, was asked not long ago to be on the board at Safe Harbor. She declined, as she was preparing to take on her new Rotary responsibilities and didn’t want to spread herself too thin.

She still wanted to make a contribution, though, and has started exploring the possibilities of establishing a new shelter. Domestic violence is a great personal concern for Magas, as a member of her family has suffered in an abusive relationship for many years.

“It’s incredibly hard,” said Magas. “She’s doesn’t know anything else.”

Magas has enlisted the help of Dr. Joan Archer, also a Rotarian as well as a curriculum specialist and certified counselor with the St. Tammany Parish School Board. She has been involved with women’s issues for several years and is a past recipient of the Athena award from the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce, which recognizes service to women.

“Domestic violence cuts across all socioeconomic levels,” said Archer. “You tend to see it at the lower levels because they have fewer resources.”

Archer said those in abusive situations are often cross-addicted because they turn to drugs as a means of coping. In addition, children that are exposed to domestic violence often exhibit the behavior of special needs children.

She also cited research that indicates boys who witness domestic violence are eight times more likely to become violent themselves. Archer likened an abusive relationship to being in a prison camp, calling it an “emotional Gitmo.” Starting a new shelter, she said, will involve a comprehensive community approach.

“Health care and legal assistance are huge twin issues,” she said. “There have to be agreements in place between law enforcement agencies and the district attorney, for example.”

Less obvious, she added, is the fact that only three shelters in the country accept pets, which can sometimes be the deciding factor in deciding to leave. According a recent report that aired on National Public Radio, often a woman will not leave because she is afraid the pet will be killed.

Magas and Archer hope to form a committee to help get the project off the ground. They hope to involve professionals across a wide spectrum of fields, from food service and real estate to substance abuse and adult education. Magas, like Winstead, would love to have someone step forward to donate a building, but she realizes that could take awhile.

“I realize this won’t happen overnight,” said Magas. “It’s hard to say right now what should happen first, get the actual building or get the social and financial network in place.”