The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples operates a 60 bed emergency shelter; seven transitional living cottages with the capacity to house forty-two participants; provides outreach services, training, and education throughout Collier County, FL.
The mission of the shelter is the following: “leading and collaborating with the community to prevent, protect, and prevail over domestic violence and human trafficking through advocacy, empowerment and social change”.
Yes, I said human trafficking. A lot of people don’t even realize the shelter is involved in fighting this horrible epidemic. Sex trafficking may seem like a third-world problem, but it’s happening in Southwest Florida. Nationally, Florida ranks as one of the top three areas of the country for human trafficking and according to the Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 550 reported cases for the crime in 2016. The shelters website has tips so that people are able to recognize the signs of this horrific crime so they can do their part to help to combat the problem in their community.
Due to the increasing need for emergency shelter in East Naples in 2016 the shelter announced plans to build a new shelter in Immokalee. The Shelly Slayer Shelter will help victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse, as well as have an area dedicated to Immokalee outreach. They expect to break ground in June of 2018 and still have many naming/funding opportunities available.
More information about this new shelter or additional ways to donate can also be found on their website, www.naplesshelter.org.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Pink Camo socks will benefit the Shelter for Abused Women and Children of Collier County. #enddvnow