MARSHALL — Domestic violence is still an issue in southwest Minnesota – but supporting survivors can often mean helping with other needs like transportation, housing or emergency financial assistance, said Becci ten Bensel, executive director of WoMen’s Rural Advocacy Programs.

Over the past several years, WRAP has expanded its scope and funding to help individuals and families in Lyon, Lincoln, Redwood and Yellow Medicine Counties.

“From the beginning, our approach has been shaped by the voices of those directly impacted, and that continues to guide how our programs grow and evolve today,” she said. WRAP was founded in 1994, as a grassroots organization responding to a gap in service available for people experiencing domestic violence. As WRAP worked with people in their four-county service region, they learned of other needs that intertwined with the issue of domestic violence. “Survivors consistently tell us that safety involves more than leaving an abusive situation,” ten Bensel said.

For example, she said, “Transportation is a big issue in our rural area.” Finding a safe place to stay is also an obstacle when the closest shelter might be 45 minutes to an hour away, she said.

Over the years, WRAP has expanded its mission and services to help meet those needs, ten Bensel said. Now, WRAP provides free and confidential services to people affected by domestic and sexual violence, abuse, as well as human trafficking and exploitation.

There is definitely a need for those services in the area, according to statistics compiled by WRAP. Between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, WRAP served a total of 928 people. Of that total, 614 people hadn’t received services from WRAP before. WRAP also provided shelter and housing services to 734 people, and gave area residents assistance in getting protection or a restraining order more than 1,000 times.

As WRAP has grown, it has also looked at ways of helping prevent domestic violence, ten Bensel said. She said WRAP has used opioid response funding to help people and families impacted by both violence and substance use. The response has included collaboration with treatment and recovery providers, and addressing safety risks that can arise in households experiencing substance-related harm.

WRAP has also expanded to offer youth programming. The youth-led, school-based programs talk about topics like unhealthy relationships and staying safe online.

“In addition, we have seen a growing need for longer-term emotional and trauma recovery support,” ten Bensel said. To address this, WRAP piloted services focused on trauma and resilience, that provide ongoing support to help domestic violence survivors rebuild stability, she said.

“Our work continues to evolve because the realities survivors face are evolving,” ten Bensel said. “Listening to those directly impacted remains the most important guide in shaping effective, community-based responses to domestic violence in rural Minnesota.”

Ten Bensel said it was important for people to know that they can talk to an advocate at WRAP.

“It’s really about meeting people where they’re at,” she said. “They don’t have to do this by themselves.”