Genesis Women's Shelter & Support

The mission of Genesis Women's Shelter & Support is to provide safety, shelter, and support for women and children who have experienced domestic violence, and to raise awareness regarding its cause, prevalence, and impact. Brief History In the last 38 years, Genesis has provided shelter, safety, and strength to 45,000 women and children. In 1993, it became apparent many women and children needed the counseling and case management component of our services, but did not require housing. To answer this growing need, the Outreach Counseling Center opened its doors. Today our Outreach counselors see over 3,000 women and children a year and provide over 26,000 counseling hours. Genesis addressed the need for transitional housing in 1998 with a 12-month program called Annie's House, located behind the Shelter. Additional Background At Genesis, we know domestic violence is one public health epidemic that is completely preventable. We believe women and children should never have to stay in an abusive home because they believe they have no other options. For 38 years, 24 hours a day, Genesis has been waiting with lights on and doors open to welcome women and children facing the greatest time of crisis they have ever known. Every year, we see nearly 3,000 women and children turn to Genesis as they make the brave decision to leave their former lives behind, taking with them nothing but the hope a better life is possible. When families arrive at our Emergency Shelter, they are embraced with a complete wrap-around program of care, including individual counseling, group counseling, onsite legal assistance, case management, children's therapy, childcare, afterschool programming, an onsite preschool, and an onsite K-12 school. Each woman and child is evaluated and a personalized plan is implemented throughout their six-week stay to help them heal from the trauma they have experienced and create the bright futures they deserve. Once families have completed our Shelter Program, they have the option to utilize Genesis' Transitional Housing Program on our safe campus. Families are able to live rent-free for 12 months in their own private apartments. The mother is required to work, saving one-third of her income, so she will have the financial means to be self-sufficient upon completion of her family's time at Annie's House. Here, families are can bond and establish homes filled with love and respect. At Genesis, we also recognize 85% of women who will know domestic violence will not seek the safety of an Emergency Shelter. The Genesis nonresidential Outreach Counseling Centers exists to meet the needs of this group of women and children, extending to them the same group, individual, and children's counseling services and education our residential clients receive. Domestic violence continues to occur at an alarming rate. It is endemic in our community and society; it destroys families and cuts into the fabric of the community, yielding higher rates of crime and indigence. Genesis' clients come from every educational background, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group. To meet the growing demand for domestic violence services in our community, Genesis remains on the forefront of innovation and services provided. We are continually implementing new programs to educate our community about the pervasiveness of domestic violence, eliminate the barriers of women seeking help, and allow us to heal women and children impacted by domestic violence.