Services We Offer

Women's Aid Shelter provides emergency shelter for women and their children who are victims of domestic violence in Clare, Gratiot and Isabella Counties. Our shelters are homes where women and children can find respite from the cycle of abuse. While in this safe, supportive environment they receive counseling to explore options available to them. Our counselors also assist them in implementing their choices. This process may include advocacy on their behalf, community referrals and transportation when appropriate. The shelters can house up to twenty-five people at one time. Women's Aid Service's staff is available 24 hours a day to provide assistance to victims caught in the cycle of domestic violence.

Many victims of domestic violence are not seeking shelter or emergency services. Our outreach counseling program is designed to meet their needs. This program may include home visits, advocacy and transportation to case-related appointments. the counseling goal is violence-free living. Anyone in Clare, Gratiot or Isabella County who is in, or has been in, an abusive relationship is eligible for this service.
 
 

We have a full-time prevention educator as part of our services.  The educatior speaks to adolescents (12-17 years old) in many area middle and high schools.  We are also available to present to your organizations such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H, and church youth groups.  Topics include sexual harassment, sexual pressure, dating violence, sexual assault, and drug-facilitated rape.  If you would be interested in having a presentation for youth, please call Amy Schultz at (517) 773-7196.
 
 

Children are sometimes the forgotten victims of domestic violence. Though they may not be direct recipients of the violence, they are often traumatized by the violence they witness. Our children's counselor is a licensed therapist who is trained to help children process their experiences. Children often blame themselves for the violence between adults in their home, and counseling helps them gain perspective on the reality of domestic violence. Children are not responsible for an adult's violence. Early intervention can reduce the amount of pain suffered by children from abusive homes.

The criminal justice system's response to domestic violence involves participation of the victims. Our agency offers legal advocacy services to assist victims in their walk through the legal process. Our legal advocates are also trained to help victims apply for Personal Protection orders. Their services can be accessed by calling our agency.

Women who have experienced sexual assault may have long-term needs related to this abuse. To meet these needs, we have developed a sexual assault program to provide immediate crisis intervention for rape victims. Our crisis intervention services are handled by staff and volunteers specifically trained in the dynamics of sexual abuse.

Individual support services are available to victims who have been sexually assaulted in their childhood or as an adult. Support is also available for significant others of the victims. Our services also include advocacy for clients in the legal and medical systems, weekly support group for adult survivors of child or adult sexual abuse, and community education.

These services are the backbone of our agency.

Our staff and volunteers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to: 1)answer the crisis phone line, 2)attend to the immediate needs of the caller and, when indicated, mobilize on-call staff to make face-to-face contact with victims and assist them in reaching the shelter, 3)advocate for them in the legal and medical systems, 4)listen to and support victims during this time of crisis, 5)explain how Women's Aid Service can continue to help them.

While assisting families in crisis we are dedicated to establishing a supportive and respectful relationship with them. This includes a full understanding that our services are confidential.

Men Overcoming Violent Experiences is a program designed to assist the adult male who is violent and/or abusive towards others. It is our belief that violence is non-productive and negatively affects the perpetrator, the victim, the family and the community. It is the primary goal of the M.O.V.E. program to end this destructive cycle and to work toward building stable, communicative intrapersonal relationships.

The group meets weekly. Each session provides time for education, discussion, and processing. The men move from recognizing and halting abusive/violent patterns to developing skills in coping, decisionmaking, stress reduction, trust and intimacy. A fee is required for each session.

Support groups are facilitated by Women's Aid Service staff.

Domestic Violence: Members are women who are in abusive relationships or are formerly battered women. The groups incorporate the following topics:

Naming the abuse

Learning to understand the cycle of abuse

Issues related to building self-esteem

Learning assertiveness skills

Issues related to forming new non-abusive relationships

Transportation and child care are available, during group, for group members.

This group focuses on the special issues involved in being an adult survivor of child or adult sexual abuse.