Services

HELP of Door County provides services and programs throughout Door County to victims of domestic abuse as well as to their families and friends. Services are free, confidential and available regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation or disability.

Domestic Abuse Services

HELP of Door County provides services and programs throughout Door County to victims of domestic abuse as well as to their families and friends. Services are free, confidential and available regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation or disability.

Crisis Intervention and Emotional Support – Our advocates provide clients with crisis intervention, emotional support and safety planning in person or through HELP’s 24/7/365 hotline (1-800-91-HELP-1). Referrals to additional community resources are made as needed. Please note that HELP’s advocates do not provide counseling services but can make referrals to certified mental health experts.

Safe Homes – HELP has a network of safe homes around the county where we can ensure that victims of abuse will be safe. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Legal Advocacy – While advocates cannot provide legal advice, they can offer support and assistance to clients throughout the restraining order process.

Women’s Support Group – This group provides support and education to survivors while allowing them to build connections and receive encouragement from other survivors.

Community Outreach – HELP’s  staff conducts workshops, training and speaking engagements to groups throughout Door County which focus on awareness, prevention and intervention of domestic violence.

Older Adult Victim Services – HELP has an advocate who focuses on supporting adults in later life who are experiencing abuse. We also provide community outreach and education on issues of elder abuse.

Transitional Living Program – This program allows victims , leaving their abusers, to gain self-sufficiency through goal planning, life skills development and ongoing supportive services.

What is trauma informed care?

Exposure to trauma isn’t just a challenge for poverty stricken communities. Everyone is affected by the effects of trauma that manifests itself through the rising costs of emergency health services, high school dropout rates and low productivity at work. Preventing exposure to trauma in a single generation or reducing their impacts can benefit not only those children but also future generations in our community.

Visitation and Exchamge Program

Our VISITATION and EXCHANGE PROGRAM offers services to parents and children needing to visit or be exchanged in a safe, neutral location. It is a tool that can help families as they go through difficult and/or transitional times. Services included are:
Supervised Visits
Monitored Exchanges and/or Visits
Skype Visits
Telephone Visits
Supportive Visits
While services are available at no charge, not all services are available at all times due to funding issues.
All visits are on-site at our Door County location.

Some of the reasons for using our services are: 

Children need to go from one parent to the other without the parents meeting.
Children’s visits with a parent need to be restricted to monitored or structured settings.
A parent has been prevented from visiting his/her children in spite of a visitation court order.
A parent hasn’t seen his/her children for some time and would like help in re-establishing a relationship with them.
A parent is concerned about the children’ s safety during visits with the other parent.
A parent is facing divorce and wants help in finding a solution to custody and visitation questions.

Some of the benefits for the various family members are as follows:

For the Children:
Services allow the children to maintain a relationship with both of their parents without being a part of the parents’ conflict and/or other problems. For visiting children, they can anticipate visits without the stress of worrying about what is going to happen, and enjoy their time in a safe, comfortable environment.
For the Parents and/or Guardians:
Parents can feel confident about safety without having to communicate or have contact with a person with whom they are in conflict or by whom they might be in conflict with.
For the Parents and/or Guardians with whom the child resides:
The children’s primary guardian can feel comfortable allowing their children to have contact with their non-residential parent.
For the Non-Residential Parent or Relative:
They can be sure that their contact with the children does not have to be interrupted regardless of any personal or interpersonal problems they may be having or conflicts with the children’s caretaker(s). If allegations have been made against them, they can visit without fear of any new accusations because there is someone present who can verify what happened during their time together.

Our Visitation and Exchange Program is a member of the Supervised Visitation Network (SVN) and of the Wisconsin Chapter of SVN.
Visit the Supervised Visitation Network at: www.svnworldwide.org

Older Adult Services

What Is Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse is abuse in later life which is  the willful neglect or financial exploitation of an older adult perpetrated by someone who is in an ongoing relationship – spouse, partner, siblings, children, grandchildren or caregivers of the victim.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help or is in danger, CALL:  911 or if you want to speak to one of our HELP advocates, call: 1-920-743-8785 

  • We believe that every man, woman and child deserves to be treated with respect and caring
  • Every person – no matter how young or old – deserves to be safe from harm inflicted by those who live with them, care for them or come in day-to-day contact with them.

Primary Prevention:  Prevention services address the risk factors that could lead to domestic violence for older adults and attempt to prevent abuse from occurring. Retirement and health deterioration are two risk factors that may lead to abuse.

Support: Older adults may experience abuse for many years before they decide to seek help. An advocate can make the process easier by providing a safe and confidential place for the abused person to talk about their situation.

Information:  Sometimes, a person knows something is wrong in his or her relationship, but does not recognize it as abuse.   We can help provide educational information that identifies what domestic abuse is and tactics an abuser uses to gain and maintain control.

Referrals: If a person decides to leave an abusive relationship, access to resources that provide assistance with rent, food, clothing, medical, etc. may be needed.  For those staying in the relationship where they have the role of caregiver, referrals to resources such as in-home supportive services or caregiver support groups can be helpful.

Safety Planning:  Everyone’s situation is different, and we can help you create an individualized plan to help keep you safe while in, or leaving an abusive relationship.

Transitional Living Program: The mission of HELP’s Transitional Living Program is to assist victims of domestic abuse gain safety for themselves, by offering temporary financial support when making the transition from sharing a home with an abuser to finding a place of their own.

Safe Homes: HELP has a network of safe homes around the county where we can ensure that victims of abuse will be safe.  They are utilized for short-term safety and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  For longer term needs, referrals to domestic abuse shelters may be an option.

Legal Advocacy: HELP does not have lawyers on staff nor do we provide legal advice. However, we can help guide you through the restraining order process by helping you fill out paperwork for domestic abuse restraining orders, harassment orders, and individual at risk orders.  We can provide support by accompanying you to court as a service representative.

Why are elder victims reluctant to report abuse?

  • They feel ashamed and embarrassed
  • They are afraid that the abuser, often a family member or caregiver, will get into trouble
  • They worry that they will be forced to live in a nursing home (which sometimes happens)
  • They feel guilty that they are somehow to blame
  • They are in denial that the abuse is occurring or are unaware that what they are experiencing is actually abuse or neglect
  • They are afraid that if they report the abuse, it will get worse
  • They are unable to speak due to dementia or other impairmentsss or they feel that they may not be believed

    Violence Intervention Services

    Classes are provided for men or women who either enroll voluntarily or are court-ordered to work on issues related to domestic abuse battery. The groups are co-facilitated and peer led. The core goal is to teach healthy ways to communicate and be in a relationship free from abuse based on issues of power and control.

    We have learned that primary relationships can be a powerful place for support and positive action in the lives of those who have been batterers. Men in particular often grow up in an environment which demands that they “don’t cry”, “man up” or “just get it done”. The media bombards us with negative messages which idealize physical violence, revenge and betrayal while news broadcasts focus on the worst of human behaviors. Our Violence Intervention Services  groups provide a safe place to question  our choices learned often from multi-generational habits and for participants to receive support with the challenges of behavioral change.

    Alternatives to Violence (ATV) is a 26 week educational course for men. It is designed as an open-ended program enabling participants to start at any time.

    Women Ending Abuse and Violence (WEAV) is a 12 week educational course for women. 

    This process of change teaches participants how to:

    • live a non-violent life
    • build trust and respect
    • listen
    • be honest in both word and deed
    • understand the legacy of our choices
    • let go of control
    • be fair with finances
    • respect sexual timing and preferences

    Both our ATV and WEAV classes require an assessment before being allowed into the class. The assessment and the classes both entail a fee. Please call the HELP office for more information and referral to these groups at 920-743-8785.

    Youth and Family Services

    Youth Advocacy – HELP has an advocate focused on providing emotional support and safety planning for children who have been exposed to domestic violence within the home as well as for teens who have experienced dating violence. Our advocates provide youth with the knowledge that the abuse is not their fault while offering a safe and supportive place to talk.

    Looking to change the current paradigm with domestic violence in Door County, HELP of Door County looks to move more “upstream”. In the context of domestic violence, primary prevention encompasses our proactive efforts to stop intimate partner violence and abuse from happening in the first place by interrupting the cultural rules, norms, and constructs that support it while changing the social norms that allow and condone violence. Moving upstream requires that we reach our youth to encourage them to recognize that domestic violence is linked to a web of oppressive systems such as racism, xenophobia, classism, sexism, and homophobia and that intimate partner violence disproportionately affects women, children and other marginalized groups.

    With this goal in mind, we are incredibly excited that at HELP of Door County, we now have more than 20 area high school students who participate in our new youth led group, “FYRE” – (FORGING YOUTH RELATIONSHIPS & EDUCATION) who connect and meet weekly under the guidance of HELP’s youth advocate and discuss a wide range of topics including dynamics of oppression, power and control within relationships, healthy relationships and dating violence. This group has the following ambitious goals for Door County youth:

    -Prevent intimate partner violence and promote healthy relationships

    -Educate area youth about domestic violence and assault

    -Inform, illuminate and inspire youth to “get real” about healthy relationships

    This group is open to all Door County High School Students.

    For more information, please call Karla at 920-743-8785.

    Parent Education and Support – Advocates educate parents on the effects of trauma on children and how to best support them.

    Community Education and Outreach – Our youth advocate provides educational presentations on teen dating violence and the effects of domestic violence on children. Advocates offer healthy relationship groups for teens and leadership opportunities for teens who want to raise awareness of interpersonal violence.