Pictured from left are Beaman Executive Director Tracie Hodson and Warsaw Police Department officer and K21 Health Foundation director Joe Hawn, reviewing security designs for Beaman Home. (Photo provided)

By HOLLY SWOVERLAND
Grant Coordinator, K21 Health Foundation

WARSAW — One of the most important aspects of a domestic violence shelter is security, both for the residents and the staff who serve them. When residents come to the new Beaman Home, they will be protected by a state-of-the-art security system thanks to a K21 grant of $106,498.

The professionally designed system will feature a multi-layer approach to ensure victims of domestic violence residing in the shelter and/or using the new outreach center will be safe from their abusers.

“The installation of a top-notch security system in the new facility is crucial to the Beaman Home,” said Tracie Hodson, Beaman Home executive director. “With the new shelter location being known to the general public, we want our clients to know they will be protected. We worked with experts to determine the comprehensive security needs of the shelter and feel confident that each of those needs have been addressed.”

The system will feature an alarm system that will automatically alert the local dispatch center if a problem arises, which will help local law enforcement agencies respond quickly. All windows and exterior doors will be wired into this system and panic buttons will be placed throughout the facility. The outside of the facility will also be fully covered by security cameras and a privacy fence.

Another layer of the system includes an access control protocol that will require anyone entering the facility to be “buzzed in” to a secured waiting area which will have bulletproof glass and will be monitored 24/7 by a Crisis Specialist. Both residents and staff will have passcodes to access appropriate interior areas of the facility and will be changed once a resident has exited the program.

“One of the things that struck many of the directors when considering the request was the knowledge that residents of the Beaman Home face uncertainty concerning their safety every day,” said K21 President & CEO Rich Haddad. “We are pleased to be able to help Beaman Home address those concerns so that survivors of domestic violence can feel secure in the shelter.”

To learn more about the new shelter or how you can help victims of domestic violence, (574) 267-7701 or visit www.thebeamanhome.com. For more information about K21 Health Foundation, call (574) 269-5188 or visit www.k21foundation.org.