OUR MISSION STATEMENT
NORTHWEST DOMESTIC CRISIS SERVICES, INC.
...all individuals have the right to live without fear of violence or coercion
Northwest Domestic Crisis Services, Inc. originally began as Woodward Crisis Services, and the inception was a group of concerned women in the community who saw and unfulfilled need for women whose partners were abusing them. The founding “mothers” discussed victims showing up at their doors needing help in the middle of the night, and not really knowing what to do to help them. Somehow they managed to get together and realized the same situation was playing out all over the community.
It was then that these women banded together and managed to fund a “hotline” that could be transferred from one person’s kitchen phone to another, and began making it aware in the community people could call them for safety. The best research and information we have obtained puts the time frame about 1976.
Somewhere throughout this process the group realized they needed to formalize what they were doing, and incorporated into what was originally the Woodward Crisis Services. Shortly after incorporation the group was given an old double-wide trailer to use as a shelter for victims. Interestingly enough the front door did not have a lock on it. Services at this point was a hotline, and a safe place to stay, ( if the front door not locking was “safe”.) There were no staff for this shelter, but the clients had a place in which they could learn from each other, and help each other with the problems that arose such as child care, the legal system, etc.
Within a year a local school teacher passed away and left specific instructions that her home was to be used as a shelter for battered women and their children. This was 1982 and appropriated funds were finally secured for services in the state for victims of violence. Woodward Crisis Services had their first paid employee! Services grew to include someone who would go with the client to court to ask for relief from the legal system, now called advocacy, and also someone who could help organize survivors around the issues of intervention and education about domestic abuse.
Services grew over the next several years to include emergency transportation, peer counseling, food and clothing. The agency then changed their name to NW Domestic Crisis Services, Inc. to represent the fact that women were not only from Woodward, but the surrounding area. It was in 1990 that Dr. Fetzer gave the agency an old house in close proximity to the shelter to be used as an office, and a place where the public could interact with the agency, as the location was and still is confidential. Funds were raised, grants were written, and the shelter was expanded from a three bedroom house to a six bedroom two bathroom house with generous support of the community.
In 1993 a satellite office was opened in Guymon at the direction of the board of directors due to the increased request for services. The first grant funds to operate this satellite was obtained from VOCA, however, client who needed longer term shelter still had to be transported to Woodward for safety.
In 1995 additional funds were appropriated from the state and the agency paired these funds with the VOCA funds to open a shelter in Guymon. The Guymon location was now a “full service” location offering all the services of the agency.
In 1996 the board of directors made a concerted effort to open an additional office in Alva, which was the next population center we received requests for services. In 1998 Mr. Bob Whorton gave the agency a motel he owned in Alva, OK. Acceptance of the property was a huge responsibility as it was in a state of disrepair; however, the agency saw a tremendous potential for numerous projects. In 1999 funds from HUD were obtained to completely renovate the donated motel, as well as our old house in Woodward that was our primary crisis center. Three quarters of a million dollars in federal funds were used, and this thrust the agency and board of directors into their first ever capital campaign. We were extremely successful with this project, especially as we had no prior experience, and actually exceed our 250 thousand dollar goal by 75 thousand dollars.
It was through this capital campaign we spurred the interest of Northwestern Oklahoma State University and the vocation technical school. They partnered with the agency to ensure that clients would have access to higher education. Signed agreements were obtained for the tuition to be waived for any client residing in the “New Beginnings” complex in Alva, and remains in effect today. Three years after the opening of the apartment complex the first client of the complex walked across the stage with her college degree.
Within two years of opening the brand new crisis center and business office in Woodward, partly funded by the HUD grant, we had already outgrown the space, even with planning on more space than we thought we needed. In 2009 the board made a move to purchase a much larger building in Woodward for new office and crisis center space. This again resulted in delving into another capital campaign, which again we were successful at meeting our goal. Interestingly it was Sarkys Foundation in conjunction with funds from the Dept. of Commerce that we were successful in turning our recently vacated office building into two three bedroom apartment for transitional housing for clients in Woodward.
It was when the Emergency Shelter Grant became the Emergency Solutions Grant through the Department of Commerce that we were able to start providing housing assistance to the general public, and not just domestic and sexual violence victims. We are very pleased to expand our influence and collaborations with partners on this project such as Salvation Army, The HOPE Center, and Ministerial Alliance to meet this need in the community also.The most recent growth in services and location was established in 2016 with the opening of three additional crisis centers, located in Ellis, Harper, and Dewey Counties. This provides a actual physical office for services to victims in 6 of the 10 counties we serve.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
NWDCS, Inc. is dedicated to the empowerment of all victims and committed to the elimination of personal and societal violence in the lives of victims and their families and to provide intervention, prevention, education, and information to the public without regard to race, age, sex, religion, economics, or ethnic and social lifestyles.
ABOUT US
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault are pervasive social problems that victimize our population and place families in crisis situations. Protection of human rights is a vital element toward eradication of violence in society. Women and children are the primary victims of family violence and sexual assault. We believe all individuals have the right to live without fear of violence or coercion, and seek to empower individuals to make their own life choices. No one deserves to be victimized by assaultive or abusive behavior. Survivors should be treated with dignity and respect. All people involved in a violent situation are affected, whether it is the victim or their family, friends of the victim, their community, or the perpetrator. Perpetrators are solely responsible for the act of crime they have committed and they should be held accountable. Northwest Domestic Crisis Services believes that the perpetrators of family violence and sexual assault require intervention and to be held accountable for their behavior. A Coordinated Community Response Team is the best approach to eliminating domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in our community. The primary focus of intervention and services is placed on the safety of victims/survivors of these crimes. Services are provided in a non-judgmental, non-coercive, trauma-informed environment. Participation in victim/survivor services is voluntary and is based on self-determined needs and goals.
...WHEN IT HURTS, WE CAN HELP
24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 1-888-256-1215
OUR HISTORY
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