Around Teton Valley, you will encounter stickers inside of restaurants, grocery stores, bathrooms, doctor’s offices, and even at playgrounds, with the words “Are You Safe?”. These stickers serve as an ever-present reminder that there are individuals in our valley who are in fact not safe and experience fear as part of their daily lives.
Family Safety Network (FSN) advocates for healthy relationships and empowers survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Teton Valley. We partner with individuals and communities to end violence, abuse, and oppression. We envision a world where individuals, families, and communities thrive in collective safety and wholeness.
Individuals experiencing physical and emotional abuse are manipulated into feeling powerless. Advocates at FSN work with clients to understand the dynamics of an unhealthy relationship and to identify patterns of abuse, most clearly identified through loss of power and control. Advocates empower victims/survivors to actively work toward safety and healing, to see that they have options, and to make healthy decisions.
Advocates walk beside individuals providing options to increase their safety. That might include filing for a protection order, creating a safety plan, or leaving an abusive home. FSN maintains two safe housing facilities in Teton Valley, sheltering clients in crisis and housing individuals transitioning to sustainable independent living. In some cases, due to the lack of affordable housing and the dynamics of a small community, FSN helps individuals relocate outside of Teton Valley for their safety.
The following messages from clients serve as reminders of why this work is so critical:
“With your support, there is a boy who is protected from further verbal and physical abuse. There is a cycle of generational abuse that is broken, and we are no longer having our lives threatened. We can look forward to enjoying family life as normal people do. This is life-changing.”
“My heart is full of gratitude and love that people and organizations like you exist. I don’t like to dwell on my past, but if I would not have had a safe place to go, it is terrifying to imagine where I would be. I will never forget your warm embrace and genuine care for me and my children. I cannot wrap my head around the amount of support from you, everyone at FSN, and this community. The most horrible things happen in this world – and you are here to walk through it. Every step of this journey FSN was with me. I know great things are in store for me, and I thank you for believing in my life and my children’s.”
Teton Valley is not a safe haven for everyone. The community support of Family Safety Network assures the hope of a better tomorrow for individuals and families in Teton Valley who have forgotten what it feels like to be safe. Further, the individual who is now safe can begin to take the next steps toward healing and wholeness.
Your support of Family Safety Network assures that advocates will continue serving and empowering clients who seek safety and services. In addition, your support is essential in ending domestic and sexual violence. FSN is actively working to increase prevention and education efforts in Teton Valley to create a community where individuals and families thrive in collective safety and wholeness. FSN cannot do this critical work alone. Please join us.
