24-Hr Response Line

A hotline is answered at the agency seven days a week, 24 hours per day, by well-trained staff and volunteers to give emergency response, support and information.

Counseling/Support

Individual counseling and weekly support groups are offered by a therapeutic counselor to survivors of domestic violence. In collaboration with another area non-profit, a support group for Spanish-speaking female victims of domestic violence meets weekly. Volunteers assist staff in offering options coordination and information and referral for our clients. 911 phones are available free of charge to anyone who needs them.

Youth Services

A master's level counselor provides support, counseling, advocacy, assessment, and referral for youth who are victims of dating violence or the effects of family violence. With the assistance of volunteers, free child care is provided during support groups and counseling sessions.

Court Advocacy

Mainstay staff and volunteers are present at each court session involving domestic violence cases to offer support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence and to enroll offenders in class. Progress made by offenders is reported to the court at the time of sentencing hearings. Assistance is available for victims wishing to file for protective orders against their abusers.

Court-Ordered Education

Three classes per week (one each for English-speaking men, Spanish speaking-men, and English-speaking women) are offered for court-ordered offenders, Department of Social Service referrals and volunteer participants. These classes emphasize anger management skills and encourage learning to take responsibility for one's own actions.

Outreach

Mainstay is involved in outreach to schools, to community and civic groups and to professionals who may encounter victims of domestic violence. Speakers for presentations as well as brochures and other written materials for adults and youth are available upon request. Much of the literature is also available in Spanish. In collaboration with over 40 community agencies and local law enforcement, Mainstay began a Family Violence Task Force in 2001 to raise awareness about the prevalence of violence in our homes. Monthly meetings are held to address the problems of family violence as it impacts the local community.

Focus On The Elderly

Mainstay has received a grant to begin a pilot program which focuses on prevention of abuse against older adults by family members. Despite the fact that a large percentage of our country's population is composed of senior citizens, few resources exist to address the problems of abuse which this segment of our society may be facing. Mainstay's program will provide education and services to older adult victims of violence as well as to organizations and individuals who are in frequent contact with the county's elderly residents.

Mainstay has created a new handicapped-accessible bathroom and a "Quiet Room" in the shelter area. This room is set apart from the usual hustle and bustle of shelter activity and provides a place in which our residents can go to read, relax or just "to be".