KAYSVILLE — Cash donations to some northern Utah crisis centers are down, but they have not been forced to return abuse victims to their violent homes.

Kay Card, director of The Shelter in Kaysville, said cash donations have been down 30 percent since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the center has received a number of "in-kind" donations that have helped make up for shortages elsewhere.

"We are really able to do all of this because of community support," Card said.

The 32-bed crisis center, which often receives overflow from Salt Lake County crisis centers, has been at full capacity since October.

Card expects the holidays to be busy this season and especially taxing because the usual slower period during the fall did not occur.

"We've not seen any downtime since September," Card said. "And starting about October we had a huge influx during what is typically a slower month for us."

The upcoming Olympics may prove to put another strain on the shelter. Based on the spike in crisis center admissions in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Card is anticipating a similar increase in Utah. She has asked the state for a variance to allow for up to 12 additional individuals to stay at the shelter should capacity be reached during the Olympics.

Cash donations also have dipped since the Sept. 11 attacks at the Your Community Connection Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Center in Ogden, but the shelter has had fewer problems with capacity, manager Sheila Richins said.

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"Generally speaking, women do not leave domestic violence situations during the holidays," Richins said. "They are often willing to sacrifice themselves so their children" do not have to leave a familiar setting during the holidays.

The YCC shelter also has not had to contend with Salt Lake City shelter spillover since the Kaysville facility opened its doors in 1997, she said.

The 26-bed Ogden facility is at about half its capacity.

But it also serves families after they have stayed the 30-day period allowed for most shelters. This year, YCC has served about 160 families.

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