Our Mission
The overall mission of Gateway Domestic Violence Services is to prevent and eliminate intimate partner violence through counseling, residential care and empowering people for social change.
Each year, domestic violence victims benefit from the services provided by Gateway. Here are our 2015 statistics.
9,000+ crisis calls
6,000+ counseling sessions
10,000+ nights of residential care for women, children and their pets
500+ families staying within our shelters
250+ nights of shelter were provided for pets within our Bailey Project
2,000+ victims were helped by our court advocacy program
250+ educational presentations to promote community awareness
Our volunteers spent 4,000+ hours to support victims, spread awareness, and raise funding for Gateway
Our Services
Crisis Line
Gateway’s 24-hour Crisis Line can be a victim’s first step towards making others aware of their situation and getting help. Our Crisis Line is staffed with counselors and trained volunteers. We are ready to listen and give referrals to people who are experiencing psychological and physical abuse in their relationships. Crisis services continue to expand to serve the hearing-impaired and those who do not speak Spanish or English.
Counseling
We offer individual counseling ed to women and children suffering from the effects of domestic violence, living in an abusive situation or working on feelings generated by a prior abusive relationship. Our counselors work hand in hand with our clients to empower them to heal the pain and scars of abusive relationships. Part of our process includes education, self empowerment, building self esteem, setting boundaries, safety planning and healthy relationships. Our counselors also advocate and help our clients with referrals, community networking and work with women to regain power and control of their lives. Gateway’s Children Services focus on counseling and educational creative, nonviolent activities that help build self-esteem and promote constructive emotional expression. This is accomplished through individual and group sessions with Gateway-trained child counselors.
Residential Care
Gateway operates two emergency shelter facilities. The short-term facility in Aurora has 24 beds; our other (long-term) facility in southern Arapahoe county has a 14-bed capacity. Residents at the short-term shelter are asked to commit to a minimum stay of three days and can stay up to a maximum of thirty days. Each woman arriving at the shelter will have an intake and orientation sessions. Each woman is assigned a primary caseworker who meets with her on an ongoing basis throughout her stay to assist her with goal setting, safety planning, advocacy, resource development and provide needed emotional support. Sometimes 30 days is not enough time for our clients to find permanent housing. Therefore, Gateway has designed a program that allows our clients to stay in shelter for 90 days. During their stay, women receive one-on-one counseling that is available 24 hours a day.
Court Advocacy Program
At the Aurora Municipal Court, Gateway houses a Court Advocacy Program (CAP) that provides victims of domestic violence with emotional support, information on their legal options and support through the court processes. Our advocates offer referrals, safety planning, crisis intervention and emergency services (cell phones for 911). Although the program is in a Criminal Court setting, victims also receive information on civil court matters such a restraining orders, child-support enforcement, divorce/separation, immigration, victim compensation and other pertinent matters. Advocates work one-on-one with the direct victims in the case and their children. We also provide a comfortable space for children to be while parents are at court, including a special children’s area with all the comforts of home.
Social Change
Gateway promotes social change to prevent intimate partner violence from spreading. Our community outreach involves educating community groups and professional organizations about domestic violence. Staff and volunteers participate as presenters in our Speaker’s Bureau. Our team facilitates training sessions on domestic violence for area professionals. Public Service Announcements (PSAs) from affiliate organizations, such as “NO More”, and public relations campaigns by Gateway help drive social change. More than 100 community awareness and education presentations are delivered every year. Gateway disseminates information to the public via quarterly newsletters, brochures, print media, radio and television to enhance agency visibility throughout the community and increase community awareness regarding domestic violence.
