Tracy Stout, executive director of SAAFE House, and two other representatives of SAAFE House, Shelby Tidmarsh and Tammy Farkas, presented a program for the Rotary Club of Livingston recently.
SAAFE House is a shelter and crisis intervention agency for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and an advocate for the family. The goal is to offer an urgent safe haven during a time of need, but to also help people get back on their feet and live abuse-free lives.
SAAFE House serves four counties – Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker – with approximately 33 employees. There is a shelter here in Polk County that has room for approximately 18-24 people, Stout said.
She said they serviced 1,268 clients from September of 2023 to August of 2024 and that approximately 800 of those were women and approximately 400 were children. They have a hotline that is available 24 hours a day.
“We don’t take homeless, and our clients are not just poor people. We get people from all over and financial status doesn’t matter and we get men too,” Stout said, adding that they provide clothes, food and a place to sleep, as well as cooperation from different agencies for driver’s licenses and birth certificates.
“We feel like our ladies are succeeding when we get them in their own home. The ages in the shelter are from newborn to 80. It’s just a never-ending cycle unfortunately,” Stout said.
In addition to accepting financial donations, Stout said SAAFE House also accepts clothes, furniture and toys.
“It’s a process. We spend a lot of time helping our ladies become success stories. I love going to work every day. I can make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
