FORT WALTON BEACH — The Allstate Foundation recently awarded Shelter House a $30,625 grant to continue its economic empowerment program.
Shelter House — a state-certified domestic and sexual violence shelter serving Okaloosa and Walton counties — first received this grant in 2009, and has since earned recognition and offered training to other domestic violence centers on its innovative programs.
Tactics that abusers use to exert control include restricting the victim’s access to money, ruining the victim’s credit, forbidding her to work or harassing her on the job, causing a spotty work history.
Shelter House advocates in the WAM! (Women and Money) program work with survivors on budgeting, building savings, repairing credit scores and more through economic empowerment courses.
The nonprofit organization also works with children of abuse survivors so they learn early in life how to handle their own finances.
The agency will hold public workshops on April 4 and June 25. Call 243-1201 for more information.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Shelter House receives economic empowerment grant, sets workshops