CAPSA will use $100,000 donation to expand facilities
The Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency on Utah State University’s campus received a donation of about $100,000 from Gail Bird Weinshenker at the end of August.
CAPSA is a nonprofit domestic violence, sexual assault and rape recovery center that has served Cache Valley for the last 40 years. Last year, CAPSA helped 297 men, women and children dealing with abuse. They currently provide support for 593 individuals.
The donation will be used for a building extension of CAPSA’s current facilities in Logan. According to the pamphlet CAPSA provided, the building extension will provide a therapy and children’s center. It will also provide four additional therapy offices.
“Even with the growth of our therapy program, there is a demand for additional therapists. However, we are currently out of office space, so the building of a Therapy and Children’s Center addition will allow CAPSA to add the needed therapists,” said Jill Anderson, Executive Director of CAPSA, in a press release.
About 77 percent of the center’s funding comes from grants, 8.5 percent comes from fundraising events, about 5 percent comes from donations, 4 percent from Somebody’s Attic, a thrift store in Logan, and another 4 percent is labeled as miscellaneous income.
“They need more donations to complete construction because their grant money is limited as to what it can be used for,” said James Boyd, development director for CAPSA. “It can’t be used for things like utilities and things that need to be fixed.”
Boyd also said CAPSA would like to expand its daycare into more focused children’s services and implement play-based therapies.
In trying to connect more survivors to CAPSA, the organization has also implemented a tool called the Lethality Assessment Protocol, which was first created in Maryland.
“This tool partners CAPSA with law enforcement to reduce the number of homicides. Maryland found that about 50 percent of all homicides were domestic violence related,” Boyd said. “CAPSA has been piloting this program for the state of Utah. There have been almost 200 individuals, whom law enforcement identified and referred to CAPSA, so they can talk with the person on the scene and begin safety planning.”