Kandi Krueger has compassion for the children she sees at the Safe Haven Domestic Abuse Support Center in Shawano.
“I love working with children,” said Krueger, the center’s children’s advocate. “I’ve always wanted to work with troubled children.”
Krueger said her main focus is keeping the parents and children together.
“I talk with the children and kids who come in to the shelter about the abuse they’ve seen or been a part of,” said Krueger, who started working at the shelter in May. “I sometimes feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day.”
Krueger, who has an associate degree and is working toward her bachelor’s degree through Concordia University Wisconsin, works with children up to 17 years old. She spends time with children in the play and crafts area, getting to know them and gaining insight into their situations as they color, work on crafts and develop social skills.
Each child and family is different, Krueger said, and not all initially want to talk about their experiences.
“Some won’t talk,” she said. “It’s about building rapport and a trust level and friendship. They might have to work through some things.”
The children can return for outreach services after they leave the shelter. Krueger leads a family dynamics group for moms and kids from 4-5 p.m. on Mondays. On Thursdays, from 6-7 p.m., she works with a children’s group, with Safe Haven providing dinner and outreach services. Clients can come in for arts and crafts, play group, and to discuss problems and struggles.
Krueger also watches the newborns when needed to give their moms a break.
Krueger said she does not consider Safe Haven a homeless shelter but rather a place where people can get the help they seek.
“Families don’t know where to turn and who to trust,” Krueger said. “We have a great team of people here.”
To help its residents, Safe Haven relies on community donations of items such as flashlights, Kleenex, plastic plates, snow shovels, gift cards and gas cards — to name a few. The clients also appreciate donations of items often taken for granted by families: cooking, cleaning and laundry products, personal hygiene products, carbon monoxide detectors and thermoscan ear thermometers.
For more information, call Safe Haven at 715-526-3421 or 888-303-3421.
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