Crisis Center for South Suburbia

The goal of Crisis Center services is to bring about changes such as:
1. Knowledge may include the dynamics of abuse, typical behaviors of batterers, or how various systems in the community work.
2. Services help to change such attitudes as blaming oneself for the abuse or believing the lies repeatedly told by the abuser (they are crazy, unlovable, bad mothers, etc.).
3. Services may help clients increase their skills such as budgeting and planning, how to behave during court proceedings, or how to write a resume.
4. Services may help clients change behaviors to promote their own safety and independence.
5. Services may help change expectations about help that is or is not available.
6. Services help improve the emotional status by offering support, protection, and information.
7. Services may improve life circumstances of clients and their children by assisting them to obtain safe and affordable housing, become employed, go to school, or other experiences they may need.

The Crisis Center provides services for victims of domestic violence and our community through four pillars. Housing Services includes Emergency Shelter, Interim Housing, and Transitional Housing services. Victim Services includes Counseling. Court Advocacy, Emergency Assistance, and Aftercare Services. Outreach Services includes the Domestic Violence Hotline, Live Safe Patient Advocacy, Law Enforcement And Victim Outreach (LEAV), and Community Education. The fourth pillar is Prevention Services which includes Safe Start Dating Violence Prevention services and Partner Abuse Intervention Program (PAIP).

A three-year Strategic Plan guides the Crisis Center for South Suburbia. The current plan is operational through July of 2024. The Strategic Plan has five core objectives, which have not changed since the development of the 2019-2021 plan. The core objectives include drive revenue growth; wise oversight of resources; serve our clients; engage our community stakeholders and engage our Crisis Center team. Within each core objective are key strategies and action items, which are monitored by eight committees comprised of board members and staff.

Each quarter of the fiscal year, designated staff liaisons and committee chairs provide updates on progress, challenges and proposed solutions. Annually, the Board of Directors and Program Directors meet to review annual progress and discuss action items for each strategy.

Implementing the agency’s Strategic Plan, especially in the past ten years, has resulted in increased revenue, increased numbers of donors (including major donors), creative responses to economic conditions (especially during COVID-19), improved marketing strategies, implementation of cost-saving measures during the pandemic, implementation of additional technologies including a new HR and payroll system, a more responsive approach to client needs, increased collaborations with other local service providers and increased employee engagement.

The agency has several sources of revenue. In addition, the agency has a Development Department that brings in funding from a variety of sources. The staff in this department continue to reach out to current, past, and potential donors to increase giving each year. The board and staff carry out fund raising events that raise money and awareness about the Crisis Center, the needs of our clients, and the issue of domestic violence. This year the department is focusing on its annual giving program as well as online giving to increase the average annual giving among donors and inspire giving from new donors.

Neat Repeats Resale stores have provided consistent and increasing revenue each year since beginning in 1986. The stores are predominantly staffed by volunteers. Volunteers provide services throughout the agency that would otherwise increase personnel costs. The Crisis Center has an on-going 40-hour Domestic Violence Training so that direct-service volunteers can receive the required classes needed to commit to the agency.

Services to victims of domestic violence are free, so program income is limited. However, some rental income is generated from a building the agency owns, our program for domestic abuse perpetrators has fees, and our 40-hour domestic violence training brings in revenue.

The Crisis Center invests in its human resources to enhance sustainability with its highly trained staff. It is the policy of the agency to pay wages and salaries that are internally equitable and comparable to pay rates for like positions in appropriate job markets. In addition, the Crisis Center is

Impact of Services last year: In FY19, CCSS provided over 18,000 service hours for 1,857 clients. In addition, the Crisis Center accomplished the following:
- 12,050 nights of shelter for 308 homeless victims of domestic violence
- 20 adults and 14 children received 9,284 days of transitional housing and supportive services
- 3,678 hours of counseling and therapeutic intervention for 641 adults and children
- Assisted over 1,000 adult clients with services in court
- 801 orders of protection were filed: 91% of those were granted
- 399 dating violence prevention presentations for over 5,080 students
- Provided community education to 3,575 community members

Outcomes: As an organization focusing on serving victims of domestic violence, our immediate goal is to offer safety. Our ultimate goal is to help survivors move toward improved life circumstances.
FY2019 Results of InfoNet Outcomes Questions indicate the following:
Clients know more ways to plan for their safety – 100%
Clients know more about community resources - 99%
Clients feel safer from abuse – 92%
Clients feel more hopeful about their future – 95%
Clients have a better understanding of the effects of abuse on their lives. – 100%
Clients have a better understanding of the effects of abuse on their children's lives - 93%.
Clients know they can report violations of their order of protection – 100%
Clients have an increased understanding of their legal rights – 100%