VOICE Butler reminds neighbors to keep respectful distance from office
It’s not uncommon for VOICE, Butler’s domestic violence organization, to get upward of 200 security alerts over one weekend.
A vast majority of those alerts are just people coming into proximity with the building, which is meant to be a place of refuge for people seeking sanctuary from violence. There are other locations under VOICE that are more discrete and secure, but the organization’s CEO said it’s still important that its central business office maintains a level of security.
Tracy Veri, CEO of VOICE, said she and the organization’s other administrators felt compelled to make a Facebook post asking neighbors to respect the space by keeping a distance from the building. The post is a reminder, Veri said, because she and other staff members try to speak face to face with passersby to respectfully ask them to keep their distance.
“One bike can trigger 15 security alerts,” Veri said. “Some people were uneasy when we first moved in and said 'We've been walking through here all the time.' We have always tried to have a face-to-face conversation.”
VOICE moved its main office to Butler in 2024, renovating the former Institute Hill School that was bought and donated to the nonprofit by Alysha Mosby, a former client of the organization.
Before VOICE moved in, the building was vacant for some time, which Veri surmises is the main reason people come across the building so often. And most of the time, the security alerts are just for people passing by the building.
But once in a while, the office gets a call from a neighbor reporting what they view as suspicious activity. Veri said the organization takes every alert and call seriously because of the work performed by the VOICE staff.
While the staff may come across abusers of clients in courtrooms, Veri said the office needs to remain a secure place.
“We do deal with people who are volatile, and that is the reason we take such a strict approach,” Veri said. “We have had to call the police to ask them to leave.”
Veri also said the organization maintains a good relationship with the Butler Bureau of Police, and the staff also does not want to waste officers’ time on false alarms. So, they keep a close eye on people who pass by during the day — some of whom even park near the building or in its parking lot. The staff use common sense when it comes to speaking with people near their building on their own, Veri said.
VOICE has also hosted some events in its building since it moved in — Veri said the organization has a trunk or treat planned this month.
While VOICE’s office is a public location, the agency has several safe houses that remain undisclosed. Veri said the VOICE staff act on most security alerts that happen at the undisclosed locations.
“If someone's location has been compromised, we usually move them as quickly as we possibly can,” Veri said. “When we put people in our discrete housing, we tell them don't share your address with people. We do our best to keep all our individual houses as discrete as possible.”
