Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse has partnered with Crisis Center for South Suburbia to share 24-hour hotline services for families experiencing domestic violence.
In a joint statement, Jennifer Gabrenya, executive director of Anew, and Pam Kostecki, executive director of Crisis Center for South Suburbia, said: “Our leadership teams are constantly exploring how we can use our combined expertise and resources to better serve families impacted by domestic violence in the region. We are thrilled to come together in this way and are confident survivors will benefit from this increased access.”
The hotline number for the Crisis Center is 708-429-7233, and for Anew the number is 708-335-3028.
Working together streamlines access to both short- and longer-term emergency shelter options for individuals seeking safety from abuse. By enhancing the partnership, the organizations continue to ensure survivors will receive access to other important resources, such as safety planning, crisis management and counseling services 24-hours a day, according to Kristine Scott, development and communications director at Anew.
The two agencies have been long-time partners in addressing domestic violence in the South Suburbs. In 2019, they worked collaboratively on a project to provide rapid re-housing to survivors of domestic violence, providing short-term rental assistance and case management to help survivors obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency and ultimately become permanently housed.
This addition of shared hotline services strengthens each agency’s commitment to demonstrating client-centered programs.
The mission of Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse, formerly South Suburban Family Shelter, is to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to families in which domestic violence exists without imposing any one solution. The agency promotes people and communities beginning anew with a deeper perspective of domestic violence and a rejuvenated focus on teaching peace and compassion.
The Crisis Center for South Suburbia is a non-profit community organization that provides emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence and addresses the societal issues that contribute to domestic violence.