About MCTV’s Organization of the Month
Charitable behavior can lead to psychological, spiritual, and emotional well-being benefits for the giver. Besides helping the community and being a part of a greater good, charitable donations are tax deductible, can give you a sense of purpose and can help keep you informed about issues of social injustice. Each month, MCTV highlights two local non-profit organizations. We have donation boxes set up in our lobbies and have information on our websites about each charity, along with links to their respective websites. MCTV’s commitment to charitable causes creates new ways for you to find, learn about, and support local charities. We try to make a bigger difference in the causes you care about the most and become partners with the organizations in order to bring about change. Donate with confidence to these organizations. They are low-risk organizations, have targeted goals, function with good governance and have transparency policies. To learn more, visit our community involvement page.
MCTV is pleased to recognize Every Woman’s House as our Wayne County Community Organization of the Month. Please join us in thanking them for their efforts to improve the quality of life in Wayne County.
EVERY WOMAN’S HOUSE
Every Woman’s House is a private, non-profit organization, dedicated to providing crisis intervention, treatment, an emergency shelter, counseling, prevention and support for those affected by domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
Mission: To promote the healing of individuals and families who experience the impact of domestic violence or sexual assault. We are committed to the prevention of these crimes.
Vision: Every Woman’s House is committed to building a community free of violence where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. We collaborate and partner with other organizations and individuals in the community to end the cycle of violence. Every Woman’s House will provide leadership to these efforts by staying abreast of best practices and state and national trends that will help us to be more successful in achieving our mission.
Belief Statements
Our belief is that abuse is any act that has negative impact on the wellness of body, mind or sprit.
Everyone has the right to lead an abuse free life and to be safe in their own environment.
Physical, emotional and sexual violence are community problems that demand community solutions
Services will be provided based upon individual client and customer needs and preferences.
Prevention and education are vital to the elimination of all forms of abuse.
It is important to remain cognizant of current research, skills and approaches.
Perpetrators are responsible for their own behaviors and choices and should be held accountable for their choices.
People can change their behaviors through a process of awareness, skill building and practice.
Violence is unacceptable.
Diversity
History
In 1978, a group of local women began meeting informally to discuss the needs of women in Wayne County, Ohio. Some of the women participating in the group had specific needs that were not being met at the time, and others were aware of women who were trapped in abusive relationships.
One concern, which repeatedly surfaced, was the need of services for women in crisis. There were few resources available to them and there was virtually no place in Wayne or Holmes Counties where a woman could find refuge while exploring legal and financial avenues which would empower her to re-establish her life. This need was crucial for women who were attempting to flee an abusive partner.
Consequently, the group made assisting women in crisis particularly battered women and rape victims, their sole purpose. Thus began the enlisting of volunteers interested in organizational planning, committee work, providing shelter, and community education regarding the needs of women in crisis.
The same year, the local group of women made a request to the Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, and subsequently received a $5,000 grant which allowed them to hire a part-time director and open the door to Every Woman’s House. Community volunteers were recruited and trained to provide safe houses in the community for emergency shelter.
Since that time, Every Woman’s House has been recognized among social service agencies and law enforcement agencies in Wayne and Holmes Counties as the referral source for women experiencing domestic violence.
As funding and community support increased, Every Woman’s House gradually expanded its services to include crisis intervention, a 24-hour hotline, counseling, support groups, and victim advocacy. In 1982, a local resident offered Every Woman’s House the use of an eleven-room house. The house permitted Every Woman’s House to provide short-term shelter to women and their children who are escaping violence in their homes. It could accommodate four women and their children, not to exceed a total of 14 persons.
In October of 1999, Every Woman’s House moved into the lower level of Gault Liberty Center (administration) and Julia’s Place, the new shelter. Julia’s Place has twelve rooms and can accommodate a total of up to 44 people, or twelve women and their children. One of the rooms is handicapped accessible. Every Woman’s House continues to offer a variety of services, such as domestic violence support groups and the 24-hour hotline.
Services
Every Woman’s House prides itself on providing comprehensive and compassionate services that are tailored to the individual needs of the client and the community. Our services include:
Counseling
Traumatic experiences such as family violence or abuse and sexual assault or abuse can create distressing reactions that are at times overwhelming and could linger for months or years after. Every Woman’s House specializes in helping traumatized survivors, including children, to recover from the effects of these experiences. Every Woman’s House is certified to provide professional mental health counseling by licensed counselors and social workers to assist survivors and their children in recovery from many types of abuse.
If you are experiencing distressing symptoms, please call for an appointment. Counseling is available for residents of the shelter and members of the community and is offered at both the Wooster and Millersburg offices. Most major insurances and Medicaid are accepted and a sliding fee scale is available for those who qualify. We will not turn anyone away due to their inability to pay for all or part of services rendered.
Couples and Family Counseling
Sometimes when families experience abuse or violence, there is a desire and there may be an opportunity to preserve the family. Every Woman’s House can offer couples, marital, and family counseling by professional mental health counselors when it is safe and appropriate. If your family has experienced abuse and/or violence, but also has a desire to remain intact, please call for a counseling appointment in the Wooster or Millersburg office
Emergency Shelter
Every Woman’s House is the only provider of domestic violence shelter in Wayne and Holmes Counties and has temporary emergency shelter available for women with and without children. Emergency shelter is also available for women and their children who are experiencing homelessness. The shelter offers comprehensive services including case management, counseling, educational classes, housing assistance, life skills and parenting courses. If you are a victim of domestic violence and are in need of temporary emergency shelter or are experiencing homelessness, please call our hotline number below. The hotline and shelter are available 24 hours per day/7 days a week.
24-Hour Crisis Line
Domestic Violence, Rape, Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline
330-263-1020 or 800-686-1122
Breaking free from a life threatened by violence often begins with the first courageous step of calling Every Woman’s House. We offer a hotline that is answered by trained staff providing an immediate response to domestic violence, rape and sexual assault victims and survivors.
Victim Advocacy Services
Every Woman’s House provides advocacy services to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. These services are centered around the victim’s needs and are designed to either assist the victim in either safely leaving the abusive relationship, stay safely in the relationship or explore options. Services include:
assistance with protection orders
court accompaniment
legal referrals
hospital advocacy
safety planning
civil stand-by’s
information about personal rights
general information and referral
Generally, victims access services by phoning in or “walking in.” Appointments are preferred but not necessary. Advocacy services are prioritized to those individuals at greatest risk.
Batterer Intervention – Another Way
Another Way Program is an intervention program for men who have been abusive to their partners or families. Another Way has proven highly successful in changing the abusive behavior and reducing the violence in the participants completing the program.
There is a separate program for women who may have been abusive to their partners. The philosophy of the Another Way Batterers Intervention Program (BIP) is that adults who abuse those they love have learned destructive thinking and behavioral patterns. It is the desire of the Another Way Program to help each participant identify and change those patterns. The primary goal for this program is to teach alternative behavior patterns and raise awareness about the factors that contribute to violence. This is done in group format through presentation of material, discussion, role-playing, cognitive exercises, challenges to maladaptive thoughts, and empathy building. If you think this program would help you or your family, please call for an appointment.
Danger Assessment Program
The Danger Assessment Program is a lethality assessment program for intimate partner violence implemented in February 2008 with the Wooster Police Department. Recently, with the assistance of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the program has expanded to include the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Orrville Police Department. In this program, law enforcement officers administer a brief survey to victims called the Danger Assessment (DA). Law enforcement then connects the victim to the Every Woman’s House (EWH) hotline for safety planning and assistance. This is an excellent example of the community coming together to increase the safety of victims. If you are concerned about your safety and would like this assessment, please contact the Victim Advocate at Every Woman’s House in Wayne or Holmes Counties (Wayne County: (330) 263-6021; Holmes County: (330) 674-1020).
Community Education
Every Woman’s House provides educational programming to community groups and every school district in Wayne and Holmes County. Programs deal with such issues as domestic violence, teen dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, sexual harassment, and any other topic related to interpersonal violence.
The Housing Initiative at Liberty Center Connections
The mission of The Housing Initiative is to provide supportive services and to teach life skills that assist households in obtaining and maintaining stable housing. The role of The Housing Initiative in Wayne and Holmes Counties is to ensure all agencies and entities that provide a service to those in a housing crisis, work together efficiently and effectively. When providing assistance to households, Liberty Center Connections (LCC) adopts a Housing First approach. We believe that homelessness is first and foremost a housing problem and should be treated as such. The Housing First Approach consists of crisis intervention, emergency services, and a screening and needs assessment. It is believed that those vulnerable or at-risk families should be returned to or stabilized in permanent housing as quickly as possible and that they should be connected to the necessary resources to sustain their housing. Issues that may have caused the household’s homelessness can then be addressed once they are in stable housing. LLC’s Housing Initiative staff works with households to help them progress from crisis onto self-sufficiency by providing intensive case management services, direct financial assistance, help accessing necessary benefits or services, guidance in obtaining affordable housing or housing subsidies, assistance seeking employment, and any other services that a specific household may need to stabilize and sustain their housing.
In-Kind Donations
Our community has been very generous with in-kind donations in the past. The shelter constantly needs new and gently used items for clients in the shelter, as well as those who are ready to venture out on their own. Items graciously accepted:
Adult Clothing (all sizes, men/women)
Children’s Clothing (all sizes, boys/girls)
Appliances
Furniture
Household items
Personal hygiene products
Volunteer Opportunities
Each year hundreds of volunteers donate nearly 15,000 hours of their time to Every Woman’s House. EWH has many rewarding opportunities in which you can help heal our community from the effects of domestic violence and sexual assault. Some of these opportunities include:
Shelter Monitor: Assist shelter staff by answering phones, helping clients, and basic office work.
Hospital Advocate: Provide support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault during medical exams at the hospital.
Community Educator: Assist the Community Education staff by representing Every Woman’s House in schools and community Events.
Office Volunteer: Assist staff with such tasks as filing, computer work, and other general administrative duties.
VOLUNTEER TRAINING DATES ANNOUNCED
QUARTERLY
LCC welcomes people with diverse backgrounds and skills to enrich our programs. Our mission is to build healthy, peaceful families and communities. We do that by involving our community—you—in our volunteer program.
All skill levels are appreciated and all volunteers are considered advocates for social change by providing community education, outreach support, crisis intervention and safe environments for survivors of domestic violence & their children and to individuals & families experiencing alcohol and drug related problems.
For more information and to register for the training, please contact:
Rhiannon Whalen, Community Education & Outreach Coordinator at whalenr@steps-ewh.org or 330-804-3135.
EVERY WOMAN’S HOUSE
Wayne County Office
104 Spink Street / Gault Liberty Center
Wooster, Ohio 44691
Ph. 330-263-6021 Fax 330-264-3777
Open: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Wednesday & Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
http://everywomanshouse.org/home.html
During the month of January, you can show your support for Every Woman’s House by making a donation at the Wayne County MCTV office. The office is located at 444 W. Milltown Rd in Wooster (behind Buehler’s).