CAPSA Cares

Utah non-profit saves lives

By Leah Etling on Jul 30, 2018 in Giving

When James Boyd joined the staff of CAPSA (Citizens Against Physical & Sexual Abuse) in Utah’s Cache Valley and began wearing a nametag that publicly declared his affiliation with the organization, he learned a distressing truth: far more people than he could ever imagined had suffered rape, sexual abuse or domestic violence. People he knew as friends, neighbors, even members of his own family suddenly felt safe to share their experiences with him.

“It happens way more than we realize. Statistics say one in four women and one in seven men will experience a violent or abusive relationship in their lifetimes. The incident rates are that high, and no one ever talks about it,” said Boyd, who serves as development director for the organization.

Founded in the 1970s and based in Logan, Utah, CAPSA has a long history of acting as a support and advocacy network for abuse victims. The organization originated with a focus helping those who had been victims of rape. Today, awareness and assistance is most frequently needed for those suffering domestic violence.

“Each year we help almost 1,500 individuals, shelter as many as 400 children, men and women. Our services include things like emergency shelter to get out of a dangerous situation, or short-term housing while they find a job and a new place to live. We have therapists who specialize in healing from the trauma associated with domestic violence and abuse. Our advocates who go to court with our clients. Our goal as an organization is to help people get out of dangerous situations and start the healing process,” Boyd said.

The organization is very proud to be the first shelter in Utah to never turn away victims seeking a place to stay due to violence at home. If they don’t have a bed available in one of their shelters, they will provide hotel rooms.

In addition to emergency services and life-building support, CAPSA aims to cut off domestic violence before it starts by educating middle school and high school kids about the right ways to treat one another. Anti-bullying and healthy relationship skills are major parts of the message. Last year, CAPSA staff delivered 599 presentations on the topic, reaching 15,252 young people.

“We know this works,” Boyd explained. “We’ve even had victims come to us for support because their younger siblings learned about CAPSA at school and were able to vouch for our services. And we have parents who came to us because their kids encouraged them to seek help.”

Recently, the non-profit suffered a loss of funding that supported the school-age education program. Rather than give up the important work, they dug in their heels.

A donation from Yardi’s Draper, Utah office will replace 25 percent of the funding for the program. Yardi employees now select the non-profit causes they wish to fund each year on a regional basis, with each office selecting local organizations to support.

Yardi has supported CAPSA in the past as well. When the Yardi Utah office moved locations, unused furniture was donated to CAPSA and is now being used by their staff, saving the expense of purchasing furniture.

“I want people who are struggling to realize that it is not just your family who supports you. There is a whole community of people who care,” Boyd said.

Yardi is proud to be part of that community and support those in need. To learn more about the non-profits supported by the Yardi Foundation, visit the Giving category on the Yardi corporate blog