Domestic abuse is not easily defined.

It can be psychological, emotional or physical. It does not just happen in heterosexual couples, but can also occur in homosexual unions. Men and women can be both abused and abusers. Experts even disagree on what causes abuse, said Joel Milner director of the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault. Various shelters are available to those who are abused. Safe Passage is one of them.

Founded in 1981, Safe Passage has served women and men by giving them a place to stay away from their abuser, helping them find work, and providing them with legal advocacy, amongst other things.

The organization does not just cater to DeKalb County; women and men from all over are able to seek sanctuary at Safe Passage.

“We help NIU students all the time,” said Lisa Jensen, Safe Passage director of sexual assault services. “We’ve helped people outside of the county, outside of the state and outside of the country.”

Safe Passage helps men, women and children move on from a history of domestic and sexual violence by providing individual counseling and support groups.

Safe Passage also works with NIU’s Women’s Resource Center and the DeKalb and NIU police forces in reaching out to abuse victims and keeping NIU students and community members safe.

“We have training in [recognizing abuse],” said NIU police Sgt. Alan Smith. “We have people who are members of different organizations. We have training that we get out to the communities. We present information. It’s mostly just making people aware that [abuse] exists, that [victims] have options and choices.”

Smith said there are “different avenues of helping someone,” but if an officer suspects a woman or man is being abused by their significant other, he or she will investigate, give the suspected abused person information about violence and direct them to a counselor. The counselor may or may not be a worker at Safe Passage.

Safe Passage has honored such community efforts. At its Oct. 3 vigil, Linda Moser, Safe Passage executive director gave awards to Sgt. Jason Leverton of the DeKalb police force, 25 Women Who Cook, and TransVac for their work in helping victims at Safe Passage and elsewhere.

The organization continues to focus on helping men and women in the area.

“We’re here as a resource for NIU students–always have been, always will be,” Jensen said.