Prudence Crandall Center Inc.

PRUDENCE CRANDALL CENTER, INC. (THE ORGANIZATION) IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FORMED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN AND MEN AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. ESTABLISHED IN 1973, THE ORGANIZATION IS THE OLDEST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM IN CONNECTICUT. IN 1975, THE ORGANIZATION OPENED THE FIRST SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN IN THE STATE. IN 2009, THE ORGANIZATION OPENED ROSE HILL, A FULLY-RENOVATED, STATE-OF-ART RESIDENTIAL FACILITY, HOME TO ITS NEWLY ADDED TRANSITIONAL AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAMS. TODAY, THE ORGANIZATION IS ONE OF THE FEW PROGRAMS IN THE CONTRY TO OFFER THE FULL SPECTRUM OF SHELTER, HOUSING, AND SUPPORT SERVICES NEEDED TO MEET THE COMPLEX NEEDS OF VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TO PROMOTE SAFE, SELF-SUFFICIENT AND INDEPENDENT LIVES, FREE OF VIOLENCE. THROUGHOUT ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS, THE ORGANIZATION TOUCHES THE LIVES OF OVER 9,000 INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY THROUGH THE REGION AND STATE.

PCC envisions a world free of domestic violence, where our impact has increased exponentially throug

Goal One: Because we have been over-capacity for the last two years, we are hiring the appropriate number of managing staff and advocates to meet the ever-growing critical needs of our clients.

Goal Two: By hiring a consulting firm to work with staff, we are committed to creating a more inclusive, equitable and diverse organization, while also contributing to systemic change within our community.

Goal Three: PCC would like to increase our supportive housing units by 50%, adding 15 apartments to improve options for victims and families moving to homes of their own after a shelter stay.

In the past year, Prudence Crandall Center hired a COO, a new Shelter Case Manager to relieve our staff from the strain of the consistent spike in clients. In regards to leadership development, all of our employees must complete 6 hours of professional development, annually. Many of these courses or seminars include leadership development.

In the early days of the COVID-19 health crisis, most of us followed “shelter-in-place” orders to keep ourselves and our families safe. Unfortunately, we know “home” is not a safe place for all. Victims isolated at home with abusers for extended periods of time faced increased risk, exacerbated by stressors such as job losses, financial struggles, children out of school, and social isolation. Not only did PCC see the number of hotline calls and requests for safe shelter rise dramatically since last summer, we also noted an increase in the severity of abuse. Now nearly a year later, the need continues, and in March 2021 we experienced a watershed moment: 55 residents in our 22-bed program, meaning we were at 250% capacity. Over the past 9 months, our shelter has often been at double capacity, requiring increased staffing and special strategies to serve off-site residents. We continue to creatively draw upon all available agency resources to meet the counseling, case management, children’s services, and long-term housing needs of our shelter residents, with the goal of reducing this strain – and, ultimately, helping survivors and their families reach the best outcome: a safe, peaceful, long-term home of their own, with continuing support from PCC’s counselors. As devastating as this crisis has been, we are confident that with the community’s support we will continue to adapt and implement new strategies – growing stronger and more resilient as a result – to always be there for victims and their families in their time of need.