LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An organization is attempting to fight what experts say is a rising problem in the Silver State: domestic violence.
According to data from World Population Review, Nevada is ranked among the top states when it comes to domestic violence-related homicides. One domestic violence survivor recounted the hopeless feeling.
“It was to the point where you want to surrender and give up,” she said. Her identity has been shrouded for security-related reasons. However, she has decided to speak out about what she called the life-changing help provided by SafeNest.
“I saw the future and they brought it to light for me, they helped me see that,” she said. “Without that, I don’t know what would have happened.”
According to SafeNest’s website, the organization’s mission is to “provide comprehensive, collaborative, and innovative services for everyone affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking while passionately working to end this shared epidemic.”
Liz Ortenburger, chief executive officer of SafeNest, said Clark County has one of the highest rates of men killing women. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department data indicate that domestic violence is the leading cause of murders.
Additionally, Ortenburger shed light on an additional issue: bystander homicides. Instances where victims aren’t the only targets, but the violence spreads to a new partner or friend who finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Data from 2023 indicates there were five bystander homicides in the region. While numbers are not yet available for 2024, Ortenburger says she is familiar with at least 10 cases of bystander homicides in that time. She said the answer is streamlining the process of prosecuting domestic violence.
Ortenburger said one solution is “One Safe Place,” a new collaborative center set to open in October. Here, people will have 24-hour access to law enforcement, legal assistance, housing support, case management, support groups, and a medical clinic.
For her part, Ortenburger said counties and municipalities don’t take the issues SafeNest addresses seriously enough.
“We have no support from the county; they were to give us money, and then they pulled it back for this project, and our local municipalities haven’t invested at all,” Ortenburger said, adding that the growth of the state mirrors the worsening of the problems.
Some survivors are forced to move from the state to escape the violence, still she wants to pass along a message: life gets better.
“Just be aware and know that there is support out there, you can get out,” the anonymous survivor advised. “Don’t be stuck and don’t stay.”
The building must be bought and renovated for $17 million. The state of Nevada has awarded $9 million, and the seller reduced the cost by $1 million. SafeNest plans to launch a capital campaign to raise the remaining $7 million.
