A month before she died, Hetty Williams had asked for a restraining order against her estranged husband, Richard, because of domestic violence. But in October 2005, the Grass Valley woman and mother was brutally murdered by Richard, who currently is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole.

Thursday, Hetty's daughters spoke of their plans to help create a lasting testament to their mother's strength and courage.

Sarah Reijnen, now 26, and Briana Williams, 22, are working with nonprofit group Women of Worth to establish Hetty's Haven, a safe home for women escaping a violent environment.

“I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Reijnen, who is in the process of becoming a certified peer advocate for the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition and who volunteers on its crisis line. “I'm very passionate about helping women escape ... I don't want that to happen to anyone else.”

“I don't know how she does it,” Briana Williams said of her sister's advocacy, adding that she gets “very emotional” when she discusses her mother.

The two young women are committed to making sure Hetty's Haven represents their mother's spirit, they said.

“We want to make it a place where people can come to heal and not be scared,” Reijnen said. “She was such a wonderful person, she touched so many people. This is a good way to remember her — she was very selfless.”

Hetty's Haven will take place of DVSAC-run shelter

Hetty's Haven actually has been in the planning stages for quite a few years as a long-term housing project, said Women of Worth Executive Director Sandy Schmidt.

But the recent decision by DVSAC to shutter its emergency shelter for abused and battered women in June “rapidly accelerated” the process, said WOW's development consultant, Jim Phelps

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The non-profit organization has committed to opening Hetty's Haven by July, Schmidt said.

And the safe house will function both as a crisis shelter and as a transitional safe house where women and their children can stay for up to 12 months.

“Statistically, the longer a woman is supported, the more success she has in creating self-sufficiency,” Phelps said.

Most crisis housing is only for 60 to 90 days at most, he explained.

“Once that term ends, where does she go?” Phelps asked. “Typically, back to the abusive environment, or out on the street ... And going back usually makes the situation worse, because she's pissed the guy off.”

The longer a woman can stay in a safe transitional situation, the more time she will have to receive necessary services like job training, medical and legal assistance, transportation and counseling.

“I'm a survivor myself, so I know that getting support and knowing you're not going to be judged ... is very, very important,” Schmidt said. “A lot of women would leave earlier if they knew that was available.”

DVSAC was operating its 12-bed shelter on a $207,000 budget, which was entirely funded by the state. When the funding was slashed last year and not renewed for the next fiscal year, the coalition decided to close it down.

WOW projects its budget to run Hetty's Haven, a five-bedroom home that is already leased, at $72,000 a year — a stripped-down cost it attributes to a pool of dedicated volunteers.

“We already have the seed money to start,” Schmidt said. “Now, we're working to sustain the safe house for the long term. We'll have a wish list soon, but immediately, we need cash.”

Phelps suggested potential donors consider supporting Hetty's Haven for a day — that would be $200 — or pay for a bedroom for a year — that would be $1,700 at $40 a day.

Even with 12 beds, Schmidt knows Hetty's Haven won't answer 100 percent of the problem in Nevada County.

“We know there's a need for a Hetty's Haven Two, a separate long-term environment,” Phelps said.

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.