Community Awareness Program
Our Community Awareness program provides useful information and training for community groups and organizations. For example, we train health care providers to recognize the signs and symptoms of domestic violence and to talk with their patients about what may be happening to them at home.
We speak to church and civic groups, employers, public safety agencies and many others. We not only raise awareness and understanding of the issue, but also let community members know what they can do if they suspect an incidence of domestic violence within their own sphere of influence.
For more information on how to help with this program or to have someone present to your group, please contact the Community Awareness Program Coordinator.
Support
People (mostly women) stay in dangerous, violent relationships for a variety of reasons.
They may lack the economic means to live independently of their perpetrator or they may be vulnerable to emotional manipulation by them, or believe their perpetrator wields legal control over them.
Sometimes, a victim stays because they mistakenly believe it is best for their children.
Whatever the reason, victims feel powerless to break the cycle of violence in their lives. Peace House support services are designed to empower a victim to leave an abusive situation and not return to it or enter into another, equally abusive one.
Breaking the Cycle of Violence
Understanding
For most victims, victimization is a pattern of behavior they must unlearn and replace with healthier ones. Peace House case workers help them to understand this - and to realize abuse does not have to be a part of their life.
Planning
Peace House case workers help clients develop a personalized plan for moving from where they are to where they want to be in their domestic life. Peace House provides many resources to help clients with this, including support groups, parenting classes, safety planning and domestic violence education.
Action
We connect victims with the resources they will need to implement their personal plan. These include government agencies and other nonprofits that can provide them with legal, medical, housing, transportation, financial and other services necessary for them to start their lives anew.
Peace House also helps clients navigate and access the government programs available to them, such as the courts, police, social services, workforce services, housing agencies and others. Without us, many individuals would lack the knowledge or confidence to take advantage of resources that are available in the community to help them.
Safe Haven
Peace House provides a safe haven for women and their children when they have no other viable option to escape domestic violence. The shelter provides temporary safe housing for families while they acquire the skills and resources necessary to start their lives anew, free from violence and fear.
We try to make it as easy as possible for women to leave an unsafe home environment. Our goal is to help these families continue their lives with the least amount of disruption possible while they stabilize their lives within the safety of the shelter.
While at the shelter, the families are provided all of their immediate needs. The children go to school and we assist with arranging temporary shelter for family pets through Summit County Friends of Animals, when necessary. Additionally, shelter residents receive the full range of support services provided to any client of Peace House, whether or not they are residents of the shelter.
A typical stay for a family at the shelter is about 34 days; some stay longer, some leave earlier. About 92% of those women leaving the shelter are able to achieve emotional and economic independence from their perpetrator and begin their lives anew.
The shelter was built in 1995 at an undisclosed location in a Park City residential neighborhood to help ensure the safety and confidentiality of the families it houses. It is a state-licensed facility with trained crisis response and support staff on site 24/7. It can accommodate up to 15 people (a combination of women and their children) in 5 private rooms, each with a different sleeping configuration.
In 2009, 62 women and 57 children found a safe haven at the Peace House shelter. They stayed 2594 nights. This is an increase of 32% from the previous year.
Community Awareness Program
Our Community Awareness program provides useful information and training for community groups and organizations. For example, we train health care providers to recognize the signs and symptoms of domestic violence and to talk with their patients about what may be happening to them at home.
We speak to church and civic groups, employers, public safety agencies and many others. We not only raise awareness and understanding of the issue, but also let community members know what they can do if they suspect an incidence of domestic violence within their own sphere of influence.
For more information on how to help with this program or to have someone present to your group, please contact the Community Awareness Program Coordinator.
Schools Program
Our Schools program delivers age-appropriate training in the school classroom for grades K thru 12. Our curriculum includes Child Abuse Prevention, Internet Safety, Dating Violence and Domestic Violence Awareness; it is based on materials developed by Prevent Child Abuse Utah, approved by the State Office of Education.
For more information on how to help with this program or bring it into your school, please contact our Schools Program Supervisor.
Services
Without effective resources to deal with it, domestic violence can rip the social fabric of the community in addition to causing irreparable harm to its victims. The services Peace House provides are designed to address the causes and effects of domestic violence in the communities we serve.
