Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc.

Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. (BRASS) is a non-profit domestic violence shelter organization established in 1980 and based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving the 10-county Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) region in south-central Kentucky. As the only domestic violence victim service program accredited by Kentucky's Domestic Violence State Coalition (ZeroV) to serve the BRADD region, BRASS provides comprehensive support to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through federal grant awards. The organization focuses on delivering victim-centered services with particular attention to underserved populations, including rural residents, limited English proficient individuals, immigrants, and undocumented victims across Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren Counties.

BRASS operates through multiple federal grant funding streams, with primary support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267) and the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Transitional Housing Assistance Grants Program (CFDA 16.736). Recent prime grant awards include a $2,075,090 HUD CoC award (effective March 2025) and a $500,000 OVW transitional housing grant (effective October 2025 through September 2028), both supporting emergency shelter, transitional housing with 6 units, and comprehensive supportive services. Sub-grant funding from the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet, Kentucky Housing Corporation, and Kentucky Department for Local Government supports the Peace Housing Program (a 33-unit scattered-site housing initiative for domestic violence victims), emergency shelter operations, bilingual advocacy services, deposit and rental assistance, case management, counseling, legal aid, safety planning, court advocacy for protective orders, and justice services. The organization staffs bilingual advocates, directors of community services, and approximately 12 to 20 full-time equivalent personnel to deliver an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 services annually to domestic violence victims and their dependents, with services tailored to address barriers to safety, self-sufficiency, and access to critical community resources.