DEER LODGE — After a tumultuous year for Safe Space, a Butte nonprofit that helps people fleeing from domestic and sexual violence, the organization is turning the page with a satellite office in Deer Lodge to help better serve rural communities.
"This graph is showing fatalities associated with intimate partner homicides in Montana from the years of 2000 to 2018," says Leigha Bates, the office lead at the satellite space located in the heart of Deer Lodge.
"I haven’t personally gone through these things but I have seen the effects of it," says Bates.
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Bates becomes emotional as she talks about the statics facing Montanans. According to a 2023 Montana Department of Justice report from 2019 through 2021, 30 violent incidents led to 48 deaths. In an article written by Bates for Safe Space's February newsletter, she writes that homicides have increased by 153 percent in the past two years, a fact that Bates says emphasizes "the need for improved policies and support systems to prevent future deaths."
For half a century, Safe Space of Butte has been helping victims in Southwest Montana get their lives back. Bates says the organization’s presence in Powell County will have a profound impact on the community.
"I actually saw the greatness that can happen when communities get involved," says Bates.
Bates uses the data from a Montana Department of Justice report to underscore the importance of serving the citizens of Powell County. She says Montana can better allocate resources, address root causes of violence, and work toward reducing domestic violence fatalities in the future.
"It affects everybody and, you know, we can’t have the little boys and little girls thinking that this is okay because it’s not. And they’ll grow up and they’ll do what they see and that’s the sad truth of it," says Rachael Weaver, the executive director of Safe Space.
She says the nonprofit’s mission to break the intergenerational cycle of domestic violence can be difficult and heart-wrenching work. So, when it came to light last year that a former board member had embezzled over $32,000 from a savings account for the shelter, Weaver says the incident shook the confidence of some donors and threatened the life-saving work Safe Space carries out.
"We had a procedure in place for the situation, which is why she got caught. She did not come forward herself," says Weaver.
Weaver was the one who caught the embezzlement in July 2024. In December, Amy Schulte, the former vice chair of the Safe Space board of directors, pleaded guilty and returned the money that was stolen.
Schulte was given a one-year deferred sentence, and if she abides by the conditions of her probation no sentence will be imposed. But, Weaver says the actions of Schulte raised concerns publicly about how donations are handled. Weaver assures the public that measures are now in place to protect the organization from further abuse and she says despite the blow, Safe Space is stronger than ever.
"Going forward we’re going to try to put it in our past and now we are good to go, and like I said, it’s our first ever expansion so this will be nice and we have our fundraiser coming up too," says Weaver.
If you are experiencing sexual or domestic violence, you can call the crisis line at 406-782-8511. Follow the linkto purchase tickets to the annual Safe Space fundraisertaking place on March 8.
