Melissa called our hotline on a Saturday morning after being assaulted by her partner the night before. They had been homeless for several months along with 2 children. Both she and her partner were active Meth addicts. Stability was not in the immediate future for this family. I picked her up from a friend’s apartment and he was waiting outside to keep her intimidated .... more...
In 1979, a group of concerned citizens formed a task force to investigate the problem of domestic violence in Yamhill County. They became convinced of a great need for services to domestic violence victims. A young district attorney (now circuit court judge), a crime victim’s advocate, and a survivor of domestic violence (Mary Henderson) were among this group. Community members came forth in response and as a result Henderson House was established in 1981 to serve the population of Yamhill County. It operated out of a donated house on a shoestring budget and a handful of dedicated volunteers. In 1989, a community development block grant through the city of McMinnville enabled Henderson House to purchase and rehab a three-story home and transform it into a safe haven for women and children. Much of the work, inside and out, was donated by caring citizens. That tradition continues today with donated landscaping and refuse services, along with many other donated gifts of time and services.
Our mission is to provide safety, shelter and services to empower women and children in their recovery from being victimized by domestic violence and/or sexual assault. We work to promote change in the societal conditions that allow oppression and all forms of violence against vulnerable populations to exist, by providing direct services, education and outreach.
Henderson House provides a safe environment for women and children to stabilize from their initial crisis situation. Victims work with an advocate to develop a plan for them to move forward from victim to survivor. We empower clients by providing information about their abuse, provide them with the information so that they may make informed choices and we support them in their decision making.
In the past 33 years, Henderson House has sheltered over 1,952 women and 2,674 children, providing more than 56,000 nights of shelter. In 2012 an average of 12 women and children received shelter and services each month. Henderson House is the only 24-hour crisis agency in Yamhill County. We receive crisis calls of every nature, not just domestic violence. We are able to bring women and their children in 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Our services go far beyond just providing a bed and food. We work daily with each client providing crisis counseling, striving to meet her needs. We work with each client in shelter establishing a case plan with a goal of returning to independent living. Advocates attend appointments with clients, upon their request, with such agencies as Department of Human Services, the Court system, medical appointments and housing so that we may help advocate for their needs. Often transportation services are required to these meetings or other appointments as many clients do not have their own transportation and public transportation in Yamhill County is very limited. Many of our clients have legal issues pertaining to the abuser, child custody, visitation, or divorce. Advocates help clients by assisting them in the completion of restraining orders, attend hearings and providing legal advocacy, helping the client advocate for themselves during legal proceedings.
Not every domestic violence caller requires shelter. Henderson House provides many of the same services to non-shelter victims that sheltered victims receive. In 2012, staff and volunteers answered 1,527 calls on the crisis line. During 2012, 3,885 support groups sessions were held for women, children and teens. Often the participants in our program attend support groups for multiple years in order to heal from past abuses, work on self esteem or just find their own personal power. We also serve an average of 107 men each year.
Henderson House provides services to children. Advocates work to establishe a relationship with each parent and child, to stabilize them from their crisis situation, and establish goals for the children and parents to work on while in shelter. We work to provide options for a more stable environment and provide information and the tools necessary to continue to build positive relationships beyond shelter.
Henderson House currently provides community education presentations throughout the middle and high schools throughout Yamhill County. In 2012 we presented healthy relationship information to over 1,400 area students. Additionally, Healthy Relationship Teen Support Groups are offered on an on-going basis. These groups provide opportunities for teens to further understand power and control issues, identifying harmful relationships and explore and understand the components of having a healthy relationship. Many teens disclose their own abuse or the abuse of their parent through experiencing the community education and support groups. This service is important in providing prevention and intervention services in an effort to stop the cycle of violence.