A new space for Womenspace.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

TOPPING OFF Who: Womenspace, the nonprofit agency serving local domestic violence victims since 1975 What: Will get a grant to "top off" its $1.3 million fund drive after it raises the next $50,000 for its new office and advocacy center How to help: Tax-deductible donations can be made to Womenspace, P.O. Box 50127, Eugene, OR 97405. Information: www.enddomesticviolence.com or call 485-8232 - Womenspace

Bubbling water in a decorative fountain is the first sound after a hefty door locks shut behind bulletproof glass inside the new Womenspace advocacy center on the second floor of the Haugland Building at 16th Avenue and Pearl Street in Eugene.

Womenspace officials have achieved their vision of creating a safe, warm and inviting space for domestic violence survivors to get the help they need to escape abusive relationships, says Bonnie Jean Breautigam, the state Department of Human Services domestic violence fund coordinator who toured the office on Thursday.

Even more remarkably, the nonprofit agency's $1.3 million building fund goal is within sight after a recent award by the Meyer Memorial Trust of a "topping-off" grant.

The grant will pay the final $195,000 to reach the $1.3 million goal. The agency needs $50,000 more to get there.

Since the community already has pitched in almost $1.1 million, Womenspace Executive Director Cheryl O'Neill is optimistic.

"The community has been incredibly generous. They have really responded to the need," she said. "The grant was really a vote of confidence. They do a lot of in-depth investigation of an agency. They called all our partners."

Capital campaigns are always a challenge for domestic violence agencies, says Breautigam, whose agency provides some of the operating funds for 34 domestic violence programs around the state.

Womenspace has the advantage of a 31-year history as the primary domestic violence agency in the Eugene-Springfield area, she adds.

The Womenspace campaign began with a quiet effort that raised $950,000 toward the purchase of the nonprofit agency's new office before the fundraising drive was ever publicized.

The agency moved in this January.

The new office is a far cry from the old - a dark space of tiny rooms and narrow hallways where up to four people shared the same office. A closet actually served as an office for two staff members, O'Neill recalls.

"It was a little hard to have confidentiality," she says.

The 9,300-square-foot advocacy center is three times the size of the old and allows separate areas for child care, advocacy staff and program administration - creating a professional setting for the 31-member staff without detracting from the cozy setting for clients.

The new space accommodates children, teenagers, clients and the more than 150 volunteers who pitch in throughout the year.

Young children can play in a bright interior room packed with donated teddy bears, pillows, a big doll house, a wooden model train and other toys. Adjoining rooms have windows allowing clients to relax on soft furniture and watch their children play while privately planning major changes for their lives.

Computers line two walls of another room, where teenagers can hang out to play games or gather in groups to discuss the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

A kitchen flooded with natural light is ready for the sisters and mother of a Latina client to gather and cook a meal before sitting down to discuss with Womenspace advocates how they can all work together. One in five Womenspace staff members speaks Spanish, Development Director Elaine Phillips says.

The agency, which also operates a shelter, helped 3,088 survivors of domestic violence last year.

Donations of supplies - from personal hygiene products to diapers and toys - overflow the limited storage area of the new office.

Donations of clothing are passed along to St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill in exchange for vouchers that Womenspace clients can use later.

The feeling of community support is palpable among the staff, Phillips says.

"The thing to understand about Womenspace is how connected we are with the community," she says. "What we want people to understand is that we're all in this together.

`If you're a victim of domestic violence, it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. You are not alone. As a community, we don't tolerate violence and we're working together to get rid of it."

CAPTION(S):

Womenspace development director Elaine Phillips walks past the children's play area of the new advocacy center for victims of domestic violence.