More than two years after it closed, the Osage Nation’s shelter for victims of family violence reopened on April 10 with some new leadership and fresh enthusiasm for its mission.
Before it closed in March of 2021, the program had been beset by staffing shortages and financial issues that were once described as “chaos” due to unspecified grant issues.
Four months after the shelter closed, Stacy Lookout was hired on as the director of the Osage Nation Counseling Center, which oversees the shelter, the Counseling Center and Primary Residential Treatment programs – and began the long haul to reopen the shelter, which first opened in 2017 at the cost of $800,000. The shelter had also faced several other shorter closures due to staffing issues and Covid-19.
Lookout said the grant problems were tidied up to come into compliance with federal requirements and are now in good standing, with the money being used as originally intended.
In the intervening two years, Lookout has also introduced other changes.
“Over the past two years we’ve built strong, working relationships with local law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, other agencies, attorneys, and other departments within the Nation. These relationships have been instrumental in providing efficient, coordinated care for our clients,” Lookout said in an email.
“We revamped the protective order process, which has resulted in nearly every protective order being granted.
“[And] the advocate’s ongoing involvement with clients has led to an increase in protective order violation prosecution and harsher sentences for repeat offenders of domestic violence.”
In addition, Lookout is investing in the employees at the shelter in an effort to stanch the flow of staffers leaving. Among those in whom she has invested is the new family violence prevention program coordinator, Corrie O’Banion, who started with the program as a part-time shelter advocate.
“I’m a big fan of specialized training, so the coordinator Corrie and I implemented a comprehensive training process with the hope to provide employees with the tools they need to be successful within their role,” Lookout said. “The idea is to invest in every new hire in order to increase employee retention.
“Everyone gets a voice, and that voice matters to all levels of management. I want every employee to know their importance to this department and that they have a valuable role in making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.”
Since mid-March, shelter employees have been trained in mental health, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other medical first aid, phone protocol in crises, ethics, de-escalation techniques, and other topics.
The staff at the shelter has added Gabriel Bigheart as the lead shelter advocate, and Heather Lewis as a third shelter advocate joining existing advocates Amy Brumfield and Ashley Bonenstab.
During the two-year shutdown, the minimal staff at the shelter placed domestic violence survivors in other shelters and hotels to ensure their safety.
“Despite the shelter being closed, a skeleton crew, and multiple changes in leadership, client care was one area that was never compromised,” Lookout said. “We became experts at getting creative and wearing multiple hats to make certain we went above and beyond for each client.”
