To honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we want to spotlight our sister agency: The Shelter for Help in Emergency. Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone. Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender.
The Shelter for Help in Emergency is committed to providing a safe, supportive, confidential, and respectful environment in which survivors of domestic violence are empowered with the knowledge of personal and community resources as well as the skills needed to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. Clients are offered a comprehensive range of trauma-informed services including crisis intervention, case management and counseling, legal advocacy and court accompaniment, programs for children and adolescents, and outreach to the Spanish-speaking community.
The Shelter’s services include:
24-Hour Hotline
For victims and survivors who need a safe place to talk, and for families and friends of survivors who may seek information to help their loved one. The hotline number is 434-293-8509 V/TTY (collect calls accepted). Language interpretation is available.
Emergency Shelter
Emergency, temporary housing to victims of domestic violence in need of safety.
Counseling
Free individual and group counseling to residents of the Shelter and community members seeking assistance in dealing with domestic violence. Support groups, including a Women in Transition group, are offered periodically throughout the year.
Case Management
Shelter staff work with victims and survivors to build a large and diverse safety net of support and help them access community resources such as housing, employment, child care, substance abuse treatment, clothing, and food.
Services for Children & Youth
An important step in breaking the cycle of abuse is to work with children and adolescents who have witnessed domestic violence. The Shelter offers structured group and individual therapeutic sessions for children and adolescents, as well as support for parents to help families overcome domestic violence.
Legal Advocacy
While the Shelter does not employ a lawyer, staff members are available to assist victims of domestic violence in navigating the legal system. Advocates can assist victims in obtaining protective orders and can provide court accompaniment. These services are offered to residents of the Shelter and community members.
Address Confidentiality Program
A cost-free, confidential mail-forwarding service for victims of domestic violence who have recently relocated.
Services for the Spanish-Speaking Community
Recognizing the need to reach this growing population, the Shelter for Help in Emergency is able to provide a bicultural, bilingual Spanish-speaking advocate for counseling, outreach, and legal advocacy.
Transitional Housing
The Shelter for Help in Emergency offers transitional housing for families moving from emergency shelter to permanent housing. Families may stay from 6 months to two years as they work to become self-sufficient.
Pet-Safe Program
Allows clients to take their pets with them when they leave home seeking emergency shelter. Utilizes a combination of community organizations and individuals who are willing to foster an animal in their home on a temporary basis, knowing that by providing kindness and care, they make a difference to families and animals in need. Their compassion also provides the animal's owner with peace of mind, and allows the individual time to seek counseling, develop new personal and professional skills, as well as increase self-esteem and independence.
Prevention Programs
The Shelter offers evidence-based programs for middle and high school students including Safe Dates and Do YOU as well as Bystander Intervention trainings. The purpose of the prevention program is to stop intimate partner violence before it begins by focusing on healthy relationships, increasing protective factors, and promoting positive youth development.
Educational Programs
Shelter staff provide free educational programs to civic organizations, schools, workplaces, allied professionals, the faith community and other community groups requesting a training.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Shelter offers many volunteer opportunities for those in the community interested in helping with this important issue. Click here to view volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about the Shelter for Help in Emergency, please visit their website: https://www.shelterforhelpinemergency.org/.
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