MUSCATINE, Iowa — Living with an abusive person can create feelings of isolation and desperation that diminish the hope of escape.

But the staff at Muscatine’s Family Resources Inc. want area residents to know where refuge is available.

Rachel Riley-Smock, supervisor of the Family Resources sexual assault/domestic abuse advocacy program, said the shelter her agency operates provides victims of domestic abuse and their children with a temporary home.

The handicap-accessible shelter, a spacious home at an undisclosed address, was set up 12 years ago because of  community support, said Riley-Smock.

“More than $900,000 was needed to buy this building and renovate it,” said Riley-Smock, as she walked through the spacious home on a late-summer afternoon. “We can house up to 20 women and children here.”

   The building features a camera surveillance system, secure locks and a dedicated link to local law-enforcement.

“We have a panic button and the police can be here in 30-60 seconds,” said Riley-Smock.  

   Families share the large living space, which features comfortable furniture and a large-screen television. A stocked kitchen and dining area are also part of the home-style atmosphere.

“It feels homey here, not institutional,” said Riley-Smock.

She said furnishings are donated by area businesses and industries such as the HNI Corp. and Pierce Furniture.

  Area organizations also contribute. The Letts Sewing Circle and the Muscatine Melon Patchers provide handmade quilts for all the families as they leave the Shelter.

Riley-Smock said some of her best memories at the shelter involve Christmas day when donations from the community make it possible to place gifts under the tree for the families who are living there.

“The children worry that Santa won’t be able to find them at the shelter,” Riley-Smock said. “It’s always magical on Christmas morning.”