St. Jude House, Inc.

It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we need YOUR help in this public health emergency of domestic violence in which every 9 seconds a woman is beaten or assaulted and at least three women are murdered daily by an intimate partner. But this issue has only gotten worse over the past year with domestic violence homicides increasing by more than114%. Domestic violence does not discriminate based on gender, socioeconomic status or geographic area, more than 95% of the clients and children we serve live well below the poverty line and originate from the most impoverished areas of NWI.

WHAT WE DO
St. Jude House, located in Crown Point, Indiana, is a Family Violence Prevention Center and Emergency Shelter. An anchor in the community, it provides safe haven, basic needs, resources and comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and their dependent children fleeing the danger and trauma of domestic violence. In addition to its 40-bed homelike shelter, St. Jude House offers a 24/7 crisis hotline; crisis intervention; case management that includes employment, education, transportation and housing advocacy; legal advocacy; support groups; parenting classes; life skills training; financial empowerment programing with an entrepreneurship track (that has sparked new business ideas right in our shelter!); and specialized services for children – all at no cost to the families who are rebuilding their lives and working toward self- sufficiency and a life free from abuse.

Since opening our doors in 1995, we have provided emergency shelter and comprehensive residential and non-residential services to more than 14,000 men, women and children. The shelter serves an average of 550 clients annually. St. Jude House operates in the second largest of 92 Indiana counties and was the only domestic violence shelter in Northwest Indiana to keep its doors open during the global pandemic.

Our goal is to empower our clients through our comprehensive and compassionate programming and services to leave behind a life of domestic abuse. Each client’s length of stay varies, with some facing barriers such as housing, employment and transportation in order to secure a home free from abuse. The average length of stay is currently 33 days.

Our entire direct services team leads with a trauma-informed care approach: Our Legal Advocate assists with child-custody, protective orders and leads our financial empowerment classes; our Child Advocate helps with homework and enrolls children in their new school, and also unpacks the trauma of abuse via therapeutic play and explorative art projects; our Adult Advocate leads several support groups, explores trauma history and identifies specific counseling needs; while our Case Manager helps with housing, employment and transportation.

Sadly, domestic violence continues to impact the bottom line of local companies with 8 million days of paid work being lost every year and a cost of $8.3 billion in expenses annually to U.S. businesses. ($5.8 billion in higher medical costs and $2.5 billion in lost productivity.)

The fact of the matter is there are people in your world RIGHT NOW who have been or are impacted by domestic violence RIGHT NOW. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will be impacted by domestic violence in some form during their lifetime.

And St. Jude House stands in the gap between life and death for victims of domestic violence and their children, all at no cost. That’s why support from people like your is so very important!


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During this time of uncertainty for one and all, we know there will still be "the helpers"  THE HEROS!  And we need your help because unfortunately, Domestic Violence will not take a break because of a pandemic. Please help support St. Jude House with a small gift.  Any donation will help make an impact. 

More information about St. Jude House, Inc.: The mission of St. Jude House is to provide comprehensive, compassionate safety, shelter and services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their dependent children. St. Jude House is a catalyst and resource in  Indiana for the prevention, education and awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse. We are a 40-bed shelter,  that served more than 650 women and children last year.  Our 24/7 crisis line is available to those who need shelter as well as anyone who has questions or needs resource information. [phone redacted] .  Our crisis line received more than 1,600 calls last year.  St. Jude House provides services to clients without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability. We support our clients every hour of every day to ensure their success in living a life free from violence of any kind.

Please call Buffy at [phone redacted] or email [email redacted]