dontDViate

Yes, I'm so happy you asked! We do not discrimination on any of our services! We house men, women and children in the same building. Also because of the way our shelter is setup, we even have men and women in the same rooms. And we are LGBTQ friendly!

There are so many different kinds of success that its hard to find a perfect answer to your question. My first client to ever leave shelter and go to her own apartment had to fight through a detox, no supportive family, discrimination from others (she was a lesbian in a rural community), no job history, some mental health issues, plus trauma. When I was helping her move furniture into her apartment she was so scared. She had never been on her own before. We talked about how she did have people here for her (she had a girlfriend) and came up with a plan for she was ever feeling down or alone. I actually wrote (unknowingly at the time) what she wanted to tell her girlfriend when she proposed to her. The girlfriend said yes, and I see them walking around town every now and then.

Yep, we service primary and secondary victims. If your whole family can't fit in our shelter, we will find you a shelter that can take you all. Families shouldn't be torn apart when their trying to come together and heal for trauma.

Men face unique barriers because of the ways societies push "what being a man really is". Women and men face different challenges and stigmas. I'm always upfront and realistic (but not hard) with people though so it doesn't change the way I serve them.

Yeah, we've had to taken in trans-folks because people turn them away sometimes (which is being remedied nationally). Its hard to help someone become safe and bring them into a shelter when they have no transportation (or no money for gas), and half a state or more away. We have to be creative with safety plans