Program Overview: The Women’s Program delivers a continuum of advocacy, support and emergency services to women who are survivors of domestic violence and their families. Through these program services, women gain the resources needed to become self-sufficient and free from domestic violence. Services offered within this program include the following: 24-Hour Crisis Line Individual Advocacy and Counseling Emergency Financial Assistance Support and Education Groups Family Activities Nights Life Skills Development Parenting Support and Education Child Care Art Therapy Call our crisis line at 708.386.4225 for more information about how to access these services. All services are provided free of charge. 24-Hour Crisis Line: The Crisis Line provides a 24-hour safety net for battered women and their families through crisis intervention, emergency assistance, and information and referral services in English and Spanish. Calling our Crisis Line is often a battered woman’s first step in seeking assistance when her life may be in danger. Crisis Line Advocates provide critical emergency counseling, linkage to shelters, information and referrals, advocacy, emergency transportation, and access to emergency hotel stays when domestic violence shelters are full. During office hours, Crisis Line Advocates also provide in-person services to walk-in clients. Because of the range of services offered through the Crisis Line, battered women and their families have access to a safety net of options between them and homelessness or further abuse. Individual Advocacy and Counseling for Women: Individual Advocacy and Counseling Services focus on providing emotional support, domestic violence education, information and referrals, and one-on-one assistance with accessing resources to become self-sufficient. Women can receive food, public transportation cards, rental assistance, and other emergency financial assistance when they come in for an individual appointment. Advocates also provide safety planning to help women and their children stay safe during an abusive situation. Emergency Financial Assistance: In the midst of a domestic violence crisis, emergency assistance is critical to ensuring the safety of women and their families. Through our Emergency Financial Assistance Services, Sarah's Inn helps women and their families facing imminent homelessness due to domestic violence through rental, security deposit, mortgage and utilities assistance. In addition, advocates provide food and personal care items to meet basic needs and public transportation cards to assist women with getting to work, the doctor or other essential services. Sarah's Inn also provides emergency transportation to domestic violence shelters, a service crucial to ensuring women and children can reach safety. Support and Education Groups for Women: Advocates facilitate multiple weekly community-based Support and Education Groups where battered women provide support and encouragement to one another, share their stories and communicate about resources in the community. Groups are held at a variety of locations throughout our service area to accommodate the needs of the communities we serve. Support and education groups are enhanced by Family Activities Nights, in which families participate in activities that promote bonding and safety, and Life Skills Development Workshops, in which speakers present about life skills that increase women’s safety and self-sufficiency. Child care is provided, and support and education groups for children and teens run concurrently with the women’s group. Parenting Support and Education: Parenting Support and Education is provided to women during individual advocacy and counseling, support and education groups, art therapy, family activity nights, and the agency’s 24-Hour Crisis Line. Parenting Support and Education highlights the impact of domestic violence on children and parents. Workshops on parenting are facilitated throughout the year and cover topics such as discipline, stress management, safety planning and divorce. Child Care: Child Care Services are also available and are offered concurrently with women’s support and education groups. Volunteers provide children between the ages of 0-3 years with a safe environment where they can receive support and express their feelings through play, art, music and dance. Art Therapy: Licensed Art Therapists facilitate Art Therapy Groups for both women and children in blocks of 9 to 12 weekly sessions offered throughout the year. During art therapy participants learn how to use art to communicate and to express their feelings. Art therapists facilitate communication between the child and the parent or guardian through vocabulary introduced in group sessions and projects in which the mother and child work together.

Program Overview: The Children and Teen Program provides a continuum of advocacy, support and emergency services to children and teens affected by domestic violence in the communities Sarah's Inn serves. Through this program, Sarah's Inn advocates work to prevent domestic violence in future generations and to intervene with children and teens currently experiencing domestic violence. Services offered within this program include the following: Individual Advocacy and Counseling Support and Education Groups Family Activities Nights Teen Dating Violence Prevention Workshops Parenting Support and Education Child Care Art Therapy Call our crisis line at 708.386.4225 for more information about how to access these services. All services are provided free of charge. Individual Advocacy and Counseling for Children and Teens: Individual Advocacy and Counseling Services focus on providing emotional support, domestic violence education, information and referrals, and one-on-one assistance with accessing resources that a child or teen may need. Individual advocacy and counseling offers a safe, nurturing environment where children can work through painful feelings, build their self-esteem, and gain the resilience needed to thrive. Advocates also provide safety planning to help children, teens and their families stay safe during an abusive situation. Support and Education Groups for Children and Teens: Children and Teen Advocates facilitate multiple weekly community-based Support and Education Groups for children and teens, all of which run concurrently with women’s groups. Like the women's Support and Education Groups, the children and teen groups are held at a variety of locations throughout our service area to accommodate the needs of the communities we serve. Children and teen victims receive support, both from each other and from our advocates, for the violence they have experienced in their homes or dating relationships. Support and education groups are enhanced by Family Activities Nights, in which families participate in activities that promote bonding and safety. Teen Dating Violence Prevention: Teen Dating Violence Prevention Workshops are provided by Teen Advocates at a variety of schools and organizations throughout the communities Sarah’s Inn serves. Through these workshops, participants learn about definitions of abuse, warning signs of an abusive relationship, and resources available for those in a violent dating relationship. Presentations and workshops help participants identify the differences between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships and connect youth to services at Sarah’s Inn or at other community resources. Parenting Support and Education: Parenting Support and Education is provided to women during individual advocacy and counseling, support and education groups, art therapy, family activity nights, and the agency’s 24-Hour Crisis Line. Parenting Support and Education highlights the impact of domestic violence on children and parents. Workshops on parenting are facilitated throughout the year and cover topics such as discipline, stress management, safety planning and divorce. Child Care: Child Care Services are also available and are offered concurrently with women’s support and education groups. Volunteers provide children between the ages of 0-3 years with a safe environment where they can receive support and express their feelings through play, art, music and dance. Art Therapy Licensed Art Therapists facilitate Art Therapy Groups for both women and children in blocks of 9 to 12 weekly sessions offered throughout the year. During art therapy participants learn how to use art to communicate and to express their feelings. Communication is facilitated between the child and the parent or guardian through vocabulary introduced in group sessions and projects in which the mother and child work together.

Program Overview: Our Legal Advocacy Program provides assistance to victims of domestic violence in accessing their legal rights under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act. Based at the Fourth Municipal District Maybrook Courthouse in Maywood, Legal Advocates work with victims on exercising their legal options that provide the most safety to the victims and their children. While this includes Orders of Protection in civil and criminal court, it also includes securing compensation for crime victims and providing linkage to legal representation for divorce, child custody, child support, and petitioning for legal residency under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Call our crisis line number at 708.386.4225 or our legal advocacy program office at 708.865.6134 for more information about how you can get an order of protection. All services are provided free of charge and include the following: Assistance in petitioning for orders of protection Information and referral Safety planning Advocacy with police, state's attorneys, judges and other criminal and civil justice system personnel

Program Overview: The Abuser Intervention Services Program provides perpetrators of domestic violence with the tools that are needed to make different choices, holds them accountable for the choices they have made, and encourages them to lead a non-violent lifestyle. Clients must take responsibility for abusive and controlling behavior and recognize this behavior as unacceptable. Our Abuser Intervention Services Program has been in operation since 1989 and has provided services in Cook County since its inception. The program was one of the first to be protocol approved by the Illinois Protocol of Partner Abuse Intervention Programs in 1993, has maintained certification since, and continues to be a leader in the field. Steps to complete the Abuser Intervention Services Program include the following: Intake Assessment Orientation Workshop 26 Weekly Sessions 3 Aftercare Sessions Call our office number at 708.386.3305 for more information about how you can sign up to complete our Abuser Intervention Services Program. A fee is charged for this program. Intake Assessment: The first step in becoming a client of the program is to contact the Abuser Intervention Services Program staff. A two-hour Intake Assessment with a Sarah’s Inn Counselor is then reserved for the client at the Oak Park Police Department. During this intake, a new client will be given an overview of the program, notified of his/her rights and responsibilities as a participant in the program, and provided information about the program’s confidentiality policies. An in-depth interview is also conducted and documents the client’s history of abuse, criminal history, family and marital history, substance abuse history, and other general information. In addition, each client signs a participation contract that outlines guidelines such as attendance, written assignments, behavioral expectations and payment of fees. Orientation Workshop: Once the intake assessment has been completed, a participant is required to attend the program’s Orientation Workshop. During the workshop, participants are acclimated to the program’s policies and procedures, including what conduct will and will not be tolerated. In addition, participants are informed of the basic beliefs and causes behind violent behavior and taught how to identify their own warning signs. Weekly Group Sessions: Upon completion of the orientation workshop, a participant begins attending Weekly Group Sessions for 26 weeks. Each session begins with a group discussion on topics including the following: definitions of different types of abusive behavior; belief systems; the choice to abuse and the consequences of that abusive behavior; the effects of domestic violence on their partners and children; safety planning to prevent further abuse; communication skills; situational stressors; physiological cues; and recognizing and taking responsibility for abusive behaviors. The next hour offers clients an opportunity to share their personal situations, at which time counselors and other group members generally provide feedback and support. Groups are interactive and may include exercises and role-playing. Discussion topics are reinforced by homework, which is reviewed by our counselors and returned to group members. Aftercare Sessions: Clients who have completed the full 26 weeks are required to attend 3 monthly Aftercare Sessions. Aftercare is meant to provide participants with a forum to discuss their challenges and successes since the completion of the weekly group sessions.

Program Overview: Sarah’s Inn views domestic violence as a problem that will not be remedied merely through intervention efforts, but as an issue requiring a coordinated community response through intervention, prevention, outreach, education and advocacy. Sarah’s Inn addresses this need for a coordinated community response partly through our Community Outreach, Education and Training Program. This program provides a variety of presentations, workshops, trainings and community initiatives related to domestic violence in the communities Sarah’s Inn serves. Through the agency’s outreach and education efforts, advocates work to increase awareness about Sarah’s Inn services and the impact of domestic violence on women, families and communities. Call our Community Relations Department at 708.386.3305 for more information about how you can schedule a training for your organization. Most services are provided free of charge. 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training: The 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training, which is a state-mandated training under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act (IDVA), is offered twice per year to new volunteers and professionals interested in learning more about domestic violence. Under the IDVA, staff and volunteers within domestic violence programs are required to complete the 40-Hour Training to maintain confidentiality when working directly with domestic violence victims. The training is designed to give an overview of the basic concepts of domestic violence and covers topics such as crisis counseling, anti-racism, cultural awareness, the effects of domestic violence on children, mandated reporting, teen dating violence, legal issues and domestic violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, and a variety of other topics related to domestic violence. Participants who complete the training are certified as domestic violence advocates in Illinois and often answer calls on the Sarah's Inn crisis line, work with our children's program or abuser services groups, and assist staff with outreach events. Sarah’s Inn is an approved training site by the Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professionals. For more information on how you can sign up to complete our next 40-Hour Training series, call our Community Relations Department at 708.386.3305, e-mail volunteers@sarahsinn.org or download our training schedule and registration packet here. Trainings, Workshops & Presentations: Sarah’s Inn staff offer trainings, workshops and presentations for organizations and community members about domestic violence and Sarah’s Inn services. Specific workshop topics include common myths about domestic violence, the cycle of violence, the power and control wheel, statistics on domestic violence, and the effects of domestic violence on victims. Trainings, workshops and presentations can be tailored to best meet the needs of a particular audience or group and can be provided for local police departments, hospitals and other medical facilities, religious organizations, school systems, businesses and civic groups. Coalitions, Committees and Community Organizing: While we know that educating people about the dynamics of domestic violence is a vital part of our work to end violence, we also know that this alone is not enough. That’s why our community outreach work includes an opportunity for community members to get involved in our work to end domestic violence, too. We recognize that ensuring freedom from violence for everyone requires the participation and support of a diverse array of community representatives, including those who have not previously been engaged in this effort. In 2005, Sarah’s Inn began to organize a series of three advisory committees and a faith-based task force to address domestic violence on a community-wide level and to engage partners who may not have traditionally been involved in the domestic violence movement. The advisory committees are designed to enhance our services to LBT women, African American women, Latina women, Sarah’s Inn’s designated priority populations. Members must be survivors of domestic violence and complete a screening process with the committee chair before being accepted as a committee member. In an effort to meet the need for a combined secular and religious approach to ending violence against women, Sarah’s Inn began recruiting and organizing a Faith-Based Task Force in November 2005. Currently boasting several religious organizations in our service area, the task force has undertaken a large-scale education and prevention campaign that will reach not only the members of participating faith-based organizations, but provide best-practice materials for clergy within and beyond our service communities who are dealing with domestic violence in their constituencies. Task force members are both men and women representing a variety of faith-based groups in the Sarah’s Inn service area. If you are interested in serving on one of the three advisory committees or faith-based task force, please contact our office at 708.386.3305 and ask to speak to the staff member who chairs the committee. Purple Ribbon Campaign: Each October during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we build on our connections with the community through our Purple Ribbon Campaign by distributing hundreds of ribbons to community members during workshops, trainings, presentations, community resource fairs and committee meetings. If you would like to participate in the purple ribbon campaign, call our Community Relations Department at 708.386.3305.