GreenHouse17

GreenHouse17 programs and services respond to the needs of intimate partner abuse victims and encourage safety, healing, and self-sufficiency as they rebuild their lives as survivors. And in turn this creates a safer, healthier, and more prosperous community.

Our programming model is designed to meet basic needs, identify healing goals, and provide support and resources to improve the likelihood of achieving these goals, despite barriers. For some survivors, especially those with strong support systems and access to resources, safety and crisis stabilization can be achieved in only a few weeks. For others, especially those individuals and families who have experienced long-term abuse inclusive of physical, emotional, and financial violence, more time and assistance is needed to achieve these goals.

Our specially trained crisis counselors are available to help people harmed by intimate partner abuse any time of the day, every day of the year.

The agency's main facility is situated on a beautiful 40-acre property in rural Fayette County. From this location and three other offices throughout central Kentucky, GreenHouse17 provides comprehensive, wrap-around crisis intervention and stabilization services based in the trauma-informed care model.  

This means the agency honors that everyone responds to and heals from trauma in different ways. Specifically, trauma-informed care acknowledges need to be respected, informed, connected, and hopeful; connection between trauma and trauma symptoms, including substance abuse, depression, anxiety; and the value of collaborative approaches that empower survivors.

After immediate crisis and safety needs have been assessed and addressed, the following programming begins. The Welcoming Phase of our program introduces victims to our services while continuing to address basic needs such as safety, food, clothing, and medicine. Safety planning continues and legal protection options are explored during this initial phase.

The Healing Phase of programming focuses on individual and group support to understand the dynamics of abuse and address the physical, emotional, and financial consequences of abuse. Each day three support groups are facilitated at the agency's emergency shelter, and weekly support groups are provided throughout the agency's service area.

As healing begins, survivors prepare to secure stability, employment, and housing housing. Strategies include financial literacy curriculum that is tailored to the needs of victims, long-term safety planning, budget and credit counseling, participation in an Individual Development Account matched saving program, free tax preparation/EITC access, and housing counseling/placement assistance.

As the individual or family readies to exit shelter, the Launching Phase begins. Advocates help to ease the transition and continue to support survivors as they work to rebuild their lives after violence.

The farm that surrounds our emergency shelter facility provides survivors with nature-based avenues to heal from the physical and emotional trauma of intimate partner abuse; provides a sustainable source of field-to-table fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, and berries for meal preparation in the emergency shelter; and empowers survivors with information, resources, and access to self-sufficiency options, including micro-enterprise opportunities, by imparting employable skills related to agricultural production, manufacture of value-added products, and marketing of produce and goods from the farm.

Governance, fiscal oversight, and strategic direction are provided by our organization’s Board of Directors, composed of community leaders from financial, criminal justice, mental health, and social justice sectors. Our Executive Director, Ms. Darlene Thomas, M.S.S.W, is a 27-year advocate for survivors of power-based violence. A three-person Leadership Team and direct service staff who are Certified Domestic Violence Advocates deliver and monitor service provision. 

Our organization is dedicated to participation in community consortia to assure coordinated response to victim needs. Survivors also benefit from referral and coordination partnerships that provide substance addiction counseling; vouchers to obtain clothing and household supplies; emergency and re-constructive dental care for injuries sustained from abuse; safe visitation and monitored exchange services for children exposed to domestic violence; shelter-based and off-site provision of basic health care needs. 

We maintain a diverse fundraising model comprised of annually recurring and newly acquired federal, state, local, and private support to sustain the fiscal health of our organization. Annually recurring federal and state pass through funding received as a member program of the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence accounts for approximately a third of our annual budget; additional federal and local grant support sources comprises an additional third of our budget. Remaining funding includes varied support from subcontract agreements, private foundations, corporate sponsorship, and individual donors.

The following outcome goals are consistently met or exceeded by the organization:

100% of adults and children residing in emergency shelter report feeling safer than before entering shelter.
95% of adult and child survivors develop plans to maintain safety for themselves and their children in a variety of situations.
80% of adult survivors develop a case plan identifying needs, barriers, and advocacy related to safety and healing needs.
60% of adult survivors fulfill unique self-sufficiency goal, such as enrolling in college courses, developing new work skills, saving money to purchase a car, establishing permanent housing, etc.

Programming that responds to intimate partner violence is often fraught with very real and complex struggles related to the inherent nature of healing from trauma. As established providers of victim services with a comprehensive network of community partnerships, our organization is prepared to respond to these challenges with care, support, and advocacy to encourage survivor success.