A newly homeless mother of three trying to escape a life-threatening cycle of domestic abuse might not think she has many options. Two programs offered by the Family Tree organization beg to differ.
Women in Crisis and House of Hope are among the programs that applied for Season to Share funding and help women and children affected by domestic violence and homelessness.
Women in Crisis, located at a confidential location in Jefferson County, offers a comprehensive range of services to women and their children fleeing domestic abuse. It is staffed around the clock by 15 advocates. Once a woman calls the shelter’s hotline and shelter staff determine she is a candidate for their help, multiple resources spring into action to help keep her safe.
“Once a victim has decided to leave an abusive relationship, the risk goes up,” says Jane Pemberton, managing director for Family Tree Domestic Violence Services.
The shelter can provide a place to stay, relocate children to new schools and provide pro bono legal services such as petitioning for restraining orders or filing for divorce.
The average stay at the shelter lasts about 20 days, but it can be longer if necessary. Despite always having more requests for help than it can handle, Pemberton says, Women in Crisis offered shelter to 260 women and 191 children during the last fiscal year.
The shelter is open to all local women and their children victimized by domestic violence, regardless of age, finances or other factors.
Besides food and a roof over their heads, the shelter also provides clients with access to a health clinic that opens one night a week and provides basic health care courtesy of 30 doctors and nurses.
“A lot of times, folks who have been living in crisis aren’t able to keep up to date on their health care,” Pemberton says.
Through the combination of support groups, counseling and education about community resources, the shelter aims to prevent clients from becoming victims again after they leave.
“Nobody has ever given me the opportunities and the kindness and the resources to not only be safe, but also the programs to continue to teach me things to avoid abusive people in the future,” says one woman.
“It’s like I’ve been reborn again and I’m learning the right way life should be,” she says.
House of Hope offers many of the same services and is also open to women and children, but it operates openly in Englewood. Clients can stay up to 90 days while staff help them get benefits such as food stamps and Medicare.
“It’s the beginning of a self-sufficiency program,” says Tom Lose, managing director of homelessness services for Family Tree.
Although former clients prefer not to be named, they do nothing to hide their gratitude for everything these programs have done for them.
“I doubt I will ever find another place as healthy as this one,” said one Women in Crisis client as she departed the shelter.
“This place rocks.”
Kyle Glazier 303-954-1638 or kglazier@denverpost.com
Family Tree
(Women in Crisis, House of Hope)
Address: 3805 Marshall St., Wheat Ridge, 80033
In operation since: Women in Crisis, 1976; House of Hope, 2001
Number served last year: More than 700 combined
Staff: 30
Budget: $1.1 million
Percentage of funds directly to clients/services: 89 percent
