Unalaska, AK – On Saturday, men, women and even toddlers gathered at the Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence - or USAFV - office to drink coffee, eat pie, and meet the non-profit's staff. It's a space that many community members have never seen, and that's exactly why executive director M. Lynn Crane thought it was important to open USAFV's doors.

"Many people in town may not ever have had to use our services, so the shelter's kind of perceived as a closed off place. We just wanted to invite people in to see the facility, look at our library materials, meet the staff, and get a sense of what the building is really like. So, if you make a referral to someone, you'll kind of know what they're coming to," says Crane. "We just want to make sure that people feel comfortable coming here."

Crane says it's also a good opportunity to introduce USAFV to people from other parts of the region.

We're fortunate that this coincides with the regional VPSO - village public safety officer -- training that happening at the Grand Aleutian right now," says Crane. "A lot of the VPSOs from Atka, Nelson Lagoon, False Pass, and St. George are here in town and able to see the shelter."

On average, USAFV provides just over 200 shelter nights a year to those in need of safety from domestic or sexual violence.