Beacon of Hope Crisis Center

Beacon of Hope Crisis Center provides victim advocacy and referral services to new victims and past survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, this includes intimate partner violence and family violence. Our victim advocates provide survivors with case management by helping clients locate the resources they need, both emotionally and logistically. To provide the most information for victims, we collaborate with partner organizations, such as social service agencies, and law enforcement for criminal justice assistance. Our advocates listen and assist victims all day long day after day with very heavy complex trauma.  The victims we serve are each pulling around cumbersome wagons of trauma and our advocates meet each one with grace, understanding, and positivity.  They offer victims safety, education, and supportive services and resources, providing a path to healing, independence, and self-sufficiency.  From January 1, 2024, to October 31, 2024, we served 971 new victims of crime all while also providing 17,824 ongoing case management services to existing survivors as well.  The work that our victim advocates do every day is critical to helping those in need connect the dots to achieve safety and a future free from the grip of domestic violence. That knot of fear in a victim's gut can shrink and heal. Victim advocates are skilled at identifying lethality risk, and we want anyone living in emotional or physical fear because of violence to reach out and lean on us. We can help mitigate the barriers that seem impossible. We maintain a heightened focus on educating as many people as possible about the reality that domestic violence is a public health issue. In too many cases, it is often also a medical emergency.  Domestic violence is about power and control and is highly stressful.  When stuck in fight or flight mode from long-term trauma, the stress hormone cortisol can reach very high levels. In stressful situations, adrenal glands produce more cortisol. Sustained high-stress hormones can increase the risk of severe health problems.

Our Crisis Call Intervention Team fields incoming calls and helps survivors through crises of domestic violence and sexual assault. Our team helps with obtaining safe housing, victim advocacy, court advocacy, protective orders, access to medical and dental care, counseling, emergency hotel stays, and many other necessary services through our advocacy programs.

Our Criminal Justice Program consists of partnerships with many police departments. Beacon of Hope victim advocates work with law enforcement to follow up on domestic violence and sexual assault cases. This program breaks the cycle of abuse and educates survivors about the resources available to assist them with leaving unsafe situations and achieving freedom from the grip of domestic violence.

Our Economic Sustainability Program offers instruction with computers, typing, resume writing, dressing for success, mock interviews, financial budgeting, and assistance with job placement. We assist survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in moving from short-term safety to long-term security. We accomplish this by providing them with the knowledge and skills to achieve economic self-sufficiency; experience has proven that employment is first among three key factors (employment, housing, and transportation) in helping domestic violence victims achieve self-sufficiency to remain independent from their abusers. In addition, we partner with local corporations to provide job interviews and employment opportunities.

Our Foster Pet Program helps victims leave their abusers. The program consists of volunteer host families who agree to temporarily house pets while the victim is fleeing or in transition from an abusive household. Once these victims receive help and can be self-sufficient and live safely on their own away from the abuser then survivors are reunited with their pets. This unique program understands that care for one’s pet is a major barrier for many survivors who need to leave their violent situation, as pets are often used by abusers to control the primary victim.

Our Purple Sneakers Program is committed to supporting the needs of young adults through outreach and education. The Purple Sneakers Program consists of educating and saving lives by addressing young adult dating violence and healthy relationships. Our outreach is tailored to high school and college students and is used as a comprehensive primer on intimate partner abuse that ensures community awareness.