Basalt-based nonprofit for abuse survivors sees surge in clients in 2026

Response, a Basalt-based nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, served 126 survivors in the first four months of 2026.

This means the organization is on track to surpass last year’s total of 185 clients, making 2026 its most expansive year yet. 

Executive Director Shannon Meyer credited this growth to Response’s new center in Basalt, the Diane and Bruce Halle Center for Hope and Healing, which opened in February 2025. The Halle Center is now Response’s headquarters and provides emergency housing for survivors, their children and their pets. Its capacity is seven adults and 15 children, and clients are welcome to stay for up to two months. 

Alongside housing, Response offers clients a 24-hour crisis hotline, support groups, protection orders and medical support. 

The creation of the center, which amassed $9.75 million in local funds, significantly increased its visibility. Meyer shared that while client confidentiality goes without question, the center’s public-facing aspect is also intentional. 

“We give tours. We had a grand opening,” she said. “People know we’re here, and that is very intentional. We designed a building that was safe and has security as a top of mind concern … (but) it’s (also) much easier for our staff to stay in touch with the clients. It also destigmatizes those who are suffering from abuse. They are able to live in a beautiful, open, welcoming space.” 

Meyer also noted that there’s been an increase in Latino clientele, while other shelters in the nation have seen a decrease in Latino clients due to current issues with ICE. She attributed that difference to Response’s two bilingual and bi-cultural staff members. 

“People have the confidence that if they come to us, there will be someone who looks like them, speaks their language, can understand their culture and help them,” Meyer said. “So despite this trend toward staying away from institutions, we are still seeing an increase of Latine clients coming to us, which I think is fabulous.” 

Response was founded in Aspen in 1983 by a group of volunteers called the Women’s Forum. In the organization’s early days, staff would provide shelter for survivors in their own homes. Over the years, Response’s emergency housing shifted to three-day hotel stays in partnership with Aspen hotels. In 2018, Response received a federal grant from the Victim of Crime Act fund, as well as funding from the Halle Foundation, which allowed it to expand to apartment rentals before breaking ground on the Halle Center in 2023. The center’s lead gift was also from the Halle Foundation.

As a result of the Halle Center, Response has seen a resounding success rate of only 8% of clients returning to their abusers in 2025.

But since 2024, Response has experienced a 47% decrease in federal funding, creating a heavier reliance on local fundraising efforts. The nonprofit is currently raising funds for an endowment that will ensure the Halle Center is sustained in the future — so far, Response has raised $500,000 out of the $1.5 million goal. 

“We have a very supportive community,” Meyer said. “The fact that we were able to raise almost $10 million for the shelter in such a short time shows you how wonderful our community is and how understanding they are for this service, which is not provided by anybody else in the upper Roaring Fork Valley. We’ve already raised half a million dollars (for the endowment), so we’ve got a million more to go and I feel optimistic that will be possible.”

Response will host a fundraising event on Aug. 13 in the Aspen Institute’s Paepcke Auditorium, featuring a short film and a discussion with Lhakpa Sherpa, a Nepali mountaineer and domestic abuse survivor.

For more information and to donate, visit responsehelps.org.