Grace Smith House

Mary lou heissenbuttel residencethe mary lou heissenbuttel residence (mlhr) is a 25 bed emergency domestic violence shelter for individuals and their minor children who need safety from abuse. Domestic violence is a pattern of multiple coercive behaviors used by one person to gain power and control over another in an intimate relationship. These repeated acts may be physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or financial in nature. The crisis hotline is answered by a trained advocate 24/7/365 and for fy2022 we handled 1,918 calls for help. We provided shelter to 67 adults and 70 children and turned away 574 requests for shelter because we were at capacity and could not accommodate the size of the family. The average length of stay during the year was 67 days. Our shelter program provides three meals daily including snacks available anytime. During a shelter stay, all basic necessities such as toiletries, hygiene products, diapers, wipes, emergency clothing, school supplies, child strollers and car seats are provided for by our program. Adults are assigned a case manager who helps families create a safety plan, assess risk for lethality, determine immediate and short term needs and to assist in navigating both family and criminal court, social services, law enforcement, access to legal assistance, medical services, transportation, employment and housing. Transportation is provided for victims using agency vehicles and childcare is often made available. We provide domestic violence counseling on an individual basis as well as weekly support groups throughout the year. Services are provided to children and parents by a youth advocate, and in addition to childcare, services include parenting support, school advocacy, play groups and social activity for children during their shelter stay. All services are free and confidential. The location of the shelter is confidential as well. The length of a shelter program is 90 days with the possibility of two 45 day extensions depending on family needs. The maximum allowed stay is 180 days.

Follow up programthe Grace Smith House non residential follow up program provides a wide variety of services to families residing in the community who are experiencing domestic violence. Originally developed as a follow-up program to assist residents who were transitioning out of our emergency shelter, this program has expanded to provide a broad spectrum of advocacy, counseling and support services to victims of domestic violence. Services include individual counseling, support group, safety planning, court and legal advocacy, accompaniment to court, social services advocacy, risk assessment, immigration advocacy, housing and employment assistance, transportation, and referral to other services. We also provide a food pantry stocked with dry goods, toiletries, diapers, baby items, cleaning products, and household goods. This pantry is available for non-residential participants free of charge (availability of items depends upon donations). Limited amounts of clothing, linens, and household goods/furniture are also available (depending on donations and storage considerations). A total of 188 clients received services; advocacy was provided a total of 5,364 times; 55 support group sessions were provided; and 538 individual therapeutic sessions were provided. In addition, 101 children obtained support services and our children's support group met 55 times. Our youth advocate provided childcare 147 times during the year.latina family advocate/outreach program - our latina family advocate/outreach program was pioneered by Grace Smith House over 27 years ago. The goal of this program is to educate the latina community about domestic violence seervices available and to offer latina victims cultureally competent advocacy and counseling in their native language. In addition, this position has, through extensive outreach and connection to the community, created a network of service providers who are expert in providing services to latina victims. During the year the latina family advocate worked with 73 families providing advocacy, support, information and referrals. This program also provided 18 outreach presentations to the community. Support group in spanish is offered and weekly group sessions were conducted during the year.

Outreach programgrace Smith House has an extensive outreach and community education program. Through our outreach efforts we collaborate with community partners on projects designed to increase victim safety, enhance family welfare and maximize offender accountability. During the fy2022 year, our outreach programs and activities included the following:family court advocacy project - Grace Smith House coordinates with dutchess county family court to have two advocates provide advocacy services to walk-in customers who seek assistance from family court. Advocates meet with individuals to assess for the presence of domestic violence, provide risk assessment, engage in safety planning, educate the individual about victim rights and options as well as explain how the civil court process works. Advocates assist and support petitioners in completing paperwork and filing for emergency orders of protection. During the year, this program assisted 850 petitioners to file for emergency protective orders. Grace Smith House also has a separate court advocate who is responsible for accompanying victims to court, helping them understand the court proceedings, connecting them to legal services, and providing advocacy as needed. This advocate was able to provide extensive court advocacy services to 97 victims by providing advocacy and/or accompaniment to court.child protective services domestic violence liason program - Grace Smith House has two domestic violence liaisons embedded in the child protective services unit at our local district of social services. These liaisons serve as a knowledgeable resource to child protective services caseworkers regarding issues related to domestic violence. They also provide domestic violence services to those families referred from the child protective services unit. Last year these liaisons served 192 families and provided 188 consultations to child protective services caseworkers.prevention and education - Grace Smith House is dedicated to raising the consciousness of the community regarding the extent, type, and seriousness of intimate partner violence. Our prevention and education program focuses on giving young people the tools they need to have healthy relationships and recognize abusive behaviors. Grace Smith House educators visit middle and high schools, trying to reach all districts in dutchess county, with presentations. In middle schools, education focuses on bullying prevention, while in high schools the focus is teen dating violence prevention with topics such as healthy relationships, dating violence, safety planning, and social media safety. During the year this program educated 3,737 middle and high school students, and 288 elementary school children. Grace Smith House also educates healthcare providers on how to identify, assess and safely screen for the presence of domestic violence. During the year, we successfully educated 63 healthcare providers on how to screen for the presence of domestic violence and connect victims to services. An additional 220 community providers received training on domestic violence, how to screen for domestic violence and ways to connect victims to services in the community.

Brookhaven transitional housingbrookhaven transitional housing comprises of 14 apartments, ranging in size from studio apartments to three bedrooms. Residents may stay in the housing program for up to two years (24 months). Eligibility for this second stage housing program is determined by several factors including being a victim of domestic violence and currently fleeing an abusive relationship. This program is offered to families who want and need a longer amount of time to work on safety, healing and the achievement of specific goals. While many brookhaven residents are referred by our domestic violence shelter case managers at the conclusion of their shelter stays, others are referred through our non-residential program or by our community partners. While in the brookhaven housing program, residents are provided with case management, individual and/or group counseling, children's services, legal advocacy, recreational opportunities and all other available agency services as needed. The brookhaven program is a supportive community that promotes safety, healing from trauma, resiliency for the future, and good health. During the year, 19 families and 33 of their children resided in our transitional housing program.