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Sojourner House provides support for people who survived domestic violence

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  • Sojourner House is a non -Pro Rhode Island organization, which provides support and resources for people who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
  • The organization faces financial challenges due to increased demand for services and potential federal financing cuts.
  • Community members can support sojourner house by transmitting volunteering or disseminating awareness about their mission.

The Providence Journal and United Way of Rhode Island referred to the emphasis on the non -state of the state. Each week, the Non -Profit organized by United Way will be displayed in the Providence Sunday Journal, and United Way will share the way it supports this organization.

This week, we present the Sojourner House, which provides “safe shelter, apartment and life -saving support services for people who survived abuse.”

We asked Vanessa Volz, president and general director Sojourner houseto tell us more about the organization.

What is your mission and vision?

Sojourner House is a comprehensive agency of victims devoted to support and strengthening people who survived domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Our goal is to promote healthy relationships through educational and spokesman initiatives and to ensure the survivors of the use of tools needed to achieve emotional and economic stability. Our clients have access to an emergency shelter, long -term supporting housing programs, one -on -one counseling, support groups, legal assistance and basic needs, such as food products and hygiene. With our efforts to introduce system changes, our final vision is life in a society in which love does not hurt, and everyone is safe before violence.

How do you measure success?

As a direct service organization, our success consists in the level of influence that we can have on the lives of our clients. Success looks different for each client. For some, success looks like a union with children after a long legal fight against an offensive partner. For others, it protects safe apartments with the help of rental; They begin to treat and process the trauma thanks to regular sessions of counseling; or finally leaving a offensive household after weeks of Safety planning with a lawyer.

We meet our clients where they are and follow their potentialist. Success is the way they define it. Our task is to do everything in our power, with resources that we have to support them during this journey.

What are your biggest challenges now?

Undoubtedly, the answer to this question is financing. Our agency has developed a lot in recent years, mainly thanks to federal subsidies, which we received to extend our housing works. Despite this, Sojourner House receives more requests for help than we can answer. The beds in our shelters are almost always full and we are observing over 40 new people in our Providence housing clinic. The demand for the care we see is simply too high for the financing we have.

In addition to the fact that our resources are already stretched thin, we now have an additional worry cuts for our federal funds. Eighty percent of our budget comes from federal sources, but this financing decreases and becomes more and more unbelievable.

How can volunteers or donors get involved?

There are many ways in which community members can support our work. If the reader wants to convey a donation to help us in this financial crisis, he can visit mejournerri.org And click the “Darit” button at the top of the screen. If they would like to support our team in a more practical way, they can send an e-mail [email protected] To learn more about our various volunteering capabilities. Volunteers support our work in many ways. Some ensure the range of the hotline, some offer childcare during the support group hours, some staff table during assistance events, while others help paint walls or planting flowers in our residential real estate. We can always use more hands doing work!

What are the last achievements or projects you are proud of?

Rhode Island has a very serious lack of inexpensive apartments. For this reason, many victims of abuse in our community are in impossible situations in which they must decide between a stable apartment or freedom from violence. In the Sojourner House we do everything in our power to alleviate this burden for our clients and ensure that the apartments are never a barrier to safety. This is a job that we are extremely proud of and which has developed significantly in recent years. We now have three housing programs: a transitional housing program, fast rehabilitation program and a permanent supporting program. In 2021, we even decided to undertake our own housing. We now have or rent over 150 apartments for Rhode Island. Only in 2024 we provided a flat supporting 489 Rhode Islanders and helped them remain homes and receive care while working on rebuilding life.

Contact the 24/7 Sojounor House helpline at 401-765-3232; Visit the DROP-IN Center at 1570 Westminster St., Providence; or contact them at 401-861-6191 or by e-mail at the address at [email protected].

Gerres