Laurel House

 Norristown     Pennsylvania

http://laurel-house.org     << Visit Website

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Laurel House Charity Profile

A comprehensive domestic violence agency that provides services to individuals, families & communities throughout Montgomery County, PA. Established over 30 years ago as a domestic violence shelter for abused women & their children, Laurel House has expanded services to include a wide array of community outreach programs & supportives services. Laurel House is dedicated to the vision of ending domestic violence in each life, home, and community.

The mission of Laurel House is to provide safe haven for abused women and their children, to raise public awareness about domestic violence and to advocate for social change against domestic violence

Laurel House is a comprehensive domestic violence agency serving individuals, families and communitites throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The agency's name was selected because of the beauty of the laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower. It represents a victory for people who have taken the courageous first step of reaching out to Laurel House to support them in their efforts to build a violence free life for themselves and their children.

The agency's first program, a domestic violence shelter for abused women and their children, was founded by the Women's Center of Montgomery County in 1980. In 1981, Laurel House was incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization.

Laurel House's shelter has long been known as a safe place to heal. However, over the past 31 years, our programs have expanded to include many other needed services and supports. Today, in addition to our 24-hour hotline and shelter, Laurel House offers transitional housing, medical advocacy, legal advocacy, community counseling and support groups, children's programs, support to law enforcement, and expanded community education and prevention efforts. Several years ago, Laurel House opened Marian's Attic, an "upscale resale" thrift shop in King of Prussia. The shop helps raise needed funds to support our shelter and counseling programs, while also helping raise awareness about domestic abuse.

Laurel House services are available to male and female victims of abuse and their children. If you are in an unsafe situation because of domestic violence or if you would like to speak with a counselor about available services, please call our Hotline at 1-800-642-3150.

Laurel House Volunteer Information

During the last year, Laurel House provided:
Support and services to over 1000 domestic violence victims and their children
Educated 4,032 high school students on teen dating violence
Training to 1,256 health care providers on how to assess and identify domestic violence
Provided 136 women and 92 children safe shelter
Trained over 350 law enforcement officers on domestic violence
With a staff of approximately 20, the above would not be impossible without the generous support and dedication of volunteers. Our volunteers work in the shelter, provide community education, help with fundraising events, prepare meals for residents, work in the administrative offices, and respond to hospitals and police departments to support victims of domestic violence. We have positions to meet every level of commitment and experience.

All volunteers will be asked to complete an application and submit to both a criminal background check as well as a child abuse clearance. For those individuals who are interested in volunteering in a position in which you would work directly with our clients it is required that you complete a training course that is mandated by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The training is offered at Laurel House several times throughout the year.

Volunteer opportunities also exist for those who you do not wish to work directly with clients. Some examples of non-direct volunteer opportunities are community education, donation drives, etc.

If you are interested in volunteering, please go here to view current opportunities

For further questions, please contact Stacy Sweinhart at 610-277-1860 ext. 108 or by e-mail at ssweinhart@laurel-house.org .

For a calendar of volunteer training sessions, visit our calendar under "Events"