July Newsletter
Our Fiscal Year is Complete!
As we close another year of safety, healing and hope, we want to remind everyone of our many programs and services for survivors. All programs are completely voluntary, free and confidential.
Clinical Therapy: Peace House provides free, bilingual therapy and counseling to adults and children affected by interpersonal violence. Specialized mental health support can be life-saving and life-changing to survivors of trauma or violence. Peace House employs licensed clinical therapists who are qualified to conduct mental health assessments, provide crisis counseling, and refer to external trusted clinicians for longer-term support.
Prevention & Awareness: Peace House dispatches skilled prevention educators to businesses, organizations, events, and classrooms across Summit and Wasatch counties. Educators equip students with age-appropriate resources on fostering healthy relationships and combating interpersonal violence.
Transitional Housing: Peace House offers families a secure transitional housing program, granting them the necessary time to rebuild their lives following the trauma of interpersonal violence. This program provides safe housing for up to 2 years, allowing individuals and their families a safe, comfortable, and secure place to establish independent lives free from abuse.
Support Services: Peace House makes significant strides in service delivery — such as legal advocacy: including information, referrals, court accompaniment, and protective order support. Case managers and outreach advocates strengthen the safety and resilience of survivors by fostering their emotional wellbeing and offering crucial resources to rebuild their lives.
Emergency Shelter: Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of housing instability and homelessness for survivors and their children. The threat of homelessness for survivors increases danger, as they must find ways of meeting the basic needs of shelter, food, and clothing while escaping abusive partners. Peace House operates a round-the-clock emergency shelter, available 365 days a year, to provide refuge for individuals and families escaping interpersonal violence and abuse.
Sexual Assault Recovery Services: Our work is guided and centered by the voices and experiences of sexual assault survivors. Peace House has a dedicated 24-hour hospital response team consisting of both staff and volunteer certified sexual assault counselors.
Children's Services: We know that children are profoundly affected by domestic violence and need tailored interventions. At Peace House, we provide specialized children’s services to ensure every child receives individualized attention, care, and advocacy to mitigate the impact of trauma and foster resilience. These services include respite child care and enrichment activities for families living on our campus.
24/7 Helpline: Peace House advocates play a pivotal role in providing safety planning, emotional support, and valuable resources to individuals who reached out to the helpline from Summit, Wasatch, and surrounding communities. The helpline serves as a lifeline, offering crucial support not only to primary and secondary survivors but also to friends, families, and community members seeking guidance on supporting a loved one in an unsafe relationship.
Housing Team Highlight
Our housing team is excited to share more about our VOCA rental assistance funds from this past fiscal year. Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) provides temporary financial help to survivors to help ensure housing safety. This funding can cover a one-time rental assistance request; and, can support clients in high-risk situations such as domestic violence, sexual assault and job instability. Our team's goal is to keep survivors housed and safe in their permanent or new home - avoiding eviction, uncertainty and homelessness. In Wasatch and Summit County, you can access these services through local victim advocacy groups and community action programs like Peace House.
VOCA dollars don’t come from taxes. They come from criminal fines and penalties paid by offenders. That money goes into the Crime Victims Fund, which is then distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice to states like Utah, who award grants to local organizations like us. It is rewarding to witness survivors connect with our services, engage and secure safe and stable housing in our community.Open House
Saturday, October 24th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. This is a great chance to see our campus, learn more about our services, and find out how you can be a part of our prevention efforts.
Pantry and Boutique Needs
New
Black Leggings
Underwear for women and children
Sports Bras
Socks for women and children
Summer tops for women and children
(All sizes are needed, but especially smaller sizes to accommodate our teens.)