By Mary Stadnyk| Associate Editor

On any given Saturday afternoon in late spring and early summer, hair salon customers took to their favorite stylists’ chairs in Burlington and Ocean Counties to accomplish a lot more than their usual hair cut.

Click here to see photo gallery of hair cut-a-thon

As supporters of a special cut-a-thon, these patrons were part of an effort to raise dollars and awareness about the pervasive problem of domestic violence and the need to help those who are hurt by it. Funds generated by the scores of buzz cuts, bobs and simple trims given in participating salons were donated to Providence House Domestic Violence Services, the arm of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, that provides roundthe- clock services to thousands of domestic violence victims and their families in need of help each year.

The cut-a-thon is part of a comprehensive effort to generate public support for the program, which served nearly 5,000 clients through their two county facilities in 2012. The Burlington PHDVS assisted a total of 2,253 unduplicated individuals with 300 being housed in the emergency safe house. PHDVS-Ocean helped a total of 2,440 individuals with 224 needing the sheltering component.

Solid Foundation, Challenging Future

As Providence House enters its 35th year of op­eration, the agency remains steadfast in its mission to end the cycle of domestic abuse through education, empowerment and advocacy while providing a safe haven from abuse.

Jean Metz, director of Providence House, recalled when the Burlington County shelter opened in 1978. At the time, there were only a handful of shelters that existed for domestic abuse victims in New Jersey.

“Ours was the first and continues to serve as the only domestic violence shelter and counseling program in Burlington County,” Metz said. The first shelter was opened in a small row home in Burlington City with only 10 beds. Other victims seeking assistance were encouraged by the staff to stay with relatives or at a hotel if they felt physically threatened at home.

Providence House relocated to its current location, a larger, two-story safe house, in Willingboro, in 1979. The agency began operation in Ocean County in 1986 with similar services, including a safe house.

Both safe houses have 27 beds although additional cribs for babies may be obtained as necessary. Once clients take up residence, caseworkers, counselors and volunteers equip them with education and skills they need to care for their children and themselves. In both houses, the mothers are expected to share the chores, meet with counselors and participate in workshops on such topics as how to find a job and how to access available transportation. The average time a victim and her children remain in the home is 22 days, although it could extend to as long as 45 days.

While clients are predominantly from Burlington and Ocean Counties, the program will accept clients from other counties who are in imminent danger and are not able to obtain shelter in their county of residence.

Because PHDVS strives to continue to offer assistance free of charge to clients, the agency sponsors several events each year to generate income. In addition to the hair-cut-a-thons, there is also the Taste of Burlington County, which benefits the Burlington-based program. Since the Taste was started in 1994 it has steadily grown, now bringing together features hundreds of people to enjoy cuisines served by local restaurants. The Taste also includes a gift auction.

In Ocean County, a gift auction is also held to help raise funds. Started in 2000, the auction now draws more than 700 attendees with upwards of 400 auction prizes. The gift auction held in June generated about $63,500 for Ocean County PHDVS. In both counties, Metz and Mary Pettrow, Providence House associate director, pointed to an initiative aimed at involving members of the public in the effort to stop domestic violence and support its victims. The “Partner in Peace” program engages individuals, businesses and community groups in the agency’s mission to promote peace in all homes. The cut-a-thon was one outcome of the “Partner in Peace” initiative. Employees of the salons donated their time and 100 percent of the $1,000 raised were directed to PHDVS. Pettrow noted that as of July 26, two Ocean County salons have signed on for an October cut-a-thon, aimed at observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Commenting on this year’s cuta- thon, Pettrow was pleased to say that money raised in Burlington County doubled from 2012, the event’s inaugural year.

Metz and Pettrow noted that additional PHDVS funding sources comes from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, which along with other government sources, accounts for approximately 74 percent of the needed funding. Metz explained that donations, private grants and other fundraising efforts comprise approximately 19 percent, while the remaining seven percent comes from Catholic Charities. She noted that for 15 years, PHDVS received $90,000 a year through the state Division of Criminal Justice’s Violence Against Women Act. However, as of this past June, the funding was discontinued. She commended a host of parishes in both counties for supporting PHDVS whether financially or parishioners who volunteer.

Daughter of Charity Sister Joanne Dress, diocesan executive director of Catholic social services, noted the positive impact of the program. She said, “Providence House takes women and children who have little or nothing when they arrive and helps them to become self-sufficient by utilizing all their strengths and connecting with their families.”

From Darkness to New Life

Recalling three years ago when she and her young son, “Ryan”, arrived to the Providence House safe house in Willingboro from Union County, survivor “Monica” said she found the staff and the services to be “lifesavers.”

Monica had fled an abusive husband to whom she had been married for 13 years. When she initially sought help in Union County, she was put on a waiting list for a month. But neither she nor her son could wait any longer.

Monica said that she and Ryan were housed in the Providence House shelter for six weeks and the staff helped her with accessing multiple social services, finding a place to live and learning her way around since she wasn’t from the area.

She was also deeply grateful for the muchneeded help that Ryan, who has a developmental disability, received through Providence House’s PALS (Peace A Learned Solution) program, which helps children and teenagers who have witnessed domestic violence in their homes.

“Ryan developed anger issues as he tried to deal with some of the stuff that his dad had done,” she said. “Kids who are exposed to domestic violence, learn that behavior. They don’t know about growing up in a peaceful household.”

Monica and her son now live in an apartment in Burlington County. She holds down two jobs and Ryan attends a special services school.

“They are angels,” Monica said of the Providence House staff. “They make victims of domestic violence realize that abuse is not ok, that it’s not your fault. They help victims realize that they deserve better. They help to build you back up.”

To learn more about services provided by Catholic Charities’ Diocese of Trenton Providence House in Burlington County, call the hotline number at 1-877-871-7551 or the office number in Delran at 856-824-0599. In Ocean County, the hotline number is 1-800-246-8910 or the office number at 732-350-2120.

The statewide domestic violence hotline number is 1-800-572-7233.