Anew: Building Beyond Violence & Abuse
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Mission Statement
The mission of Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse, (formerly South Suburban Family Shelter) is to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to families in which domestic violence exists without imposing any one solution.
About This Cause
Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse is a safe place to get help. Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse provides caring and confidential help to victims of domestic violence. Our professional counselors and advocates understand the dynamics of domestic violence and help clients identify and choose options in their life situations. Our array of services addresses all aspects of domestic violence by working with those who have been harmed, those who have done harm and working in the community to prevent harm. These services include a 24-hour bilingual hotline, emergency shelter, individual, group and family counseling for adult and child victims, as well as medical advocacy, court advocacy and transitional and rapid re-housing. The 24-hour hotline and emergency shelter program are staffed by bilingual advocates to reach the diverse population in the Southland. Emergency shelter is accomplished through a scattered site network of hotels – with each stay averaging two nights. Transportation and food assistance are provided in concert with each emergency shelter stay. Comprehensive counseling programs are designed to address the whole family with therapists that can service the adults, children and family system as needed. SSFS has been a Safe from the Start agency for more than 14 years giving us marked experience in working with children 0-5 years, exposed to violence and their parents and siblings. Medical Advocates work shifts in the emergency departments of two area hospitals and staff shifts at two local medical clinics. Our Advocates speak with every individual who enters a medical facility to identify domestic violence victims. The purpose of this program is to increase the health system’s response to domestic violence through on-site assessment, advocacy, safety planning and information to those who have been identified as experiencing abuse. Often many victims seek shelter in homeless shelters rather than shelters specifically for domestic violence. Because of this, we have replicated our model for medical clinics and with local homeless service providers. The Court Advocacy Program is based out of the 6th Municipal Courthouse in Markham. Court Advocates explain the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, provide information and assistance in obtaining an Order of Protection through civil court or criminal court, intervene on the victim’s behalf with representatives of the criminal court or civil justice system and law enforcement personnel, and provide emotional support to survivors throughout the legal process. Our community outreach and prevention offerings target the broader communities of south suburban Cook County to educate communities about domestic violence and ways we can create a world without abuse. We believe raising awareness and prevention education is the key to ending domestic violence. We’ve identified the core programs toward this goal to be Counseling, Community Education and Partner Abuse Intervention. Community Education Program provides prevention education to students in grades K-12. This program’s primary goals include preventing involvement in unhealthy relationships and increasing safety for victims and children. Providing services in school settings gives students the tools needed to prevent violence and intervene as early as possible in the cycle of violence. Our curriculum is designed for all grades; Hands are not for Hitting serves grades pre-k through second grade, Family Violence Prevention serves grade third through fifth grade, Teen Dating Violence Prevention serves grades sixth through twelfth grades. Boys Respecting Others program is a newer addition designed to meet the needs of young boys who have been exposed to violence. This eight-week program is run in small group style, with a curriculum based on themes to ultimately help boys examine the messages they have received about masculinity and create an image of respect for themselves and others. We also provide transitional housing and rapid rehousing programs to serve women and children experiencing homelessness. These programs provide families the opportunity to heal, begin stability and build the future they envision for themselves. Sanctuary assists in this process by providing the following: 1. Temporary, confidential, rent-free housing to allow participants the sense of security to focus on their goals 2. Comprehensive classes which focus on developing skills in the areas of financial literacy, sustainable employment, education, parenting, housing, and healthy living. 3. Intensive case management to motivate and support each participant to achieve their individual goals and connect them with appropriate resources 4. Counseling to support each family’s individualized needs 5. Housing advocacy when exiting the program. For families who are in their own housing, our Rapid Re-housing Program provides rent and utility assistance. Oftentimes our clients need a month or so of rent and/or utility assistance to get them back on their feet financially and to keep them from having to compromise their safety by returning to previous environments for financial stability. Rapid Re-housing Advocates assist with the preparation of budgets, related financial issues, resume writing, and job search skills. In 2019, we took this concept even further by providing rental assistance over the course of one year for a family in an apartment of their choosing. This program also included case management and access to the full array of our programs. At the conclusion of the one year the family is permanently housed in their safe home. Tertiary prevention takes place with Partner Abuse Intervention and other programs such as court advocacy. We aim to stop the violence at the point a client engages with us so that future abuse can be derailed. We believe that change in is possible, and that belief is most evident in this program where our work helps those who have done harm to examine what is behind their patterns of abuse and learn a new way of being. Our Partner Abuse Intervention Program is a 30-week psycho-educational program using a state-approved curriculum designed to help participants to recognize and identify abusive behaviors, use non-violent conflict resolution; promote assertive, non-aggressive communication, achieve, and maintain healthy and non-abusive parenting skills, and bring awareness of domestic violence. All services are free of charge for victims and are available in English and Spanish.