The Village Emergency Shelter
We provide shelter for survivors experiencing domestic or sexual violence, trafficking, stalking, or elder abuse. At The Village, residents get to determine their next steps, while they rest and recover from the violence they’ve experienced. The Village is a spacious, cozy multi-family home in Clackamas County. Community helps to break the isolation of domestic and sexual violence. Residents stay in private rooms and have full access to shared spaces including living room, dining room, kitchen, kids’ playroom, teen room, and outdoor space.
At The Village, residents have opportunities to reconnect with themselves and others through self-care groups, support groups, yoga, and other activities. They can reconnect with their families through holiday celebrations, game nights, pancake breakfasts, and field trips to family-friendly places like the Oregon Zoo or OMSI. Our multi-lingual staff is available 24/7 to provide support, access to resources, parenting help, and more. Call our 24-hour Crisis and Support line at (888) 654-2288 to connect with an advocate.
Housing
We help survivors connect with a continuum of housing services to stay in their current home, move, or find safe housing.
Our advocates help survivors connect to resources that could include Clackamas County’s Coordinated Housing Access, direct rental assistance, and eviction prevention. We can also help survivors communicate with a landlord or learn about housing rights.
The Village Model is an innovative shelter model that prioritizes increasing access, building community, and celebrating survivors.
The Village Model
The Village Model is an innovative shelter model developed by the CWS staff and community in 2007 that transforms the way domestic violence shelters operate. The Village Model’s foundation was based in removing the rules and punitive systems that had become commonplace in some shelters and instead individualizing services for participants based on each person’s unique needs and goals. The increased flexibility allows shelters to provide shelter and safety for often excluded populations of survivors (people with disabilities, survivors struggling with addiction, multi-generational families) and to develop a rich and diverse shelter community where everyone has value.
Within this supportive environment, survivors can step away from the abuse, regain their strength, and shape the way they want to move forward in the world. The Village provides a place to practice communication and boundary-setting skills and creates a culture of trust. The result is that participants feel trusted to make their own life choices in a meaningful way and can find a new supportive community to be with them on their journey.
Inspired by values of fellowship, the Village Model integrates shelter staff with individuals residing in the shelter community. Several case managers, as well as a Youth Advocate, work with participants on a daily basis using a Shared Advocacy Model to work as a team. They support survivors at shelter and continue to work with them through their transition into housing over the long-term, welcoming survivors back to shelter for self-care and support groups for as long as they need. Our Village is an ever-expanding community of survivors and we celebrate the joy and strength that community brings.
The Village Emergency Shelter
Testimonials
“…the staff were nice and very friendly, and one of the best things that I like being here is that no one tells you what to do, you get to do your own things, your own choice and having my own room was the best.”
“During my time with the shelter I was treated with nothing but kindness and respect. The staff were very supportive of me on my pathway to recovering from my situation. I feel that I can reach out with any questions and know that they will do their best to provide me with answers. I honestly did not think I would be able to access help. I am so used to being set by the wayside and seeking help was scary as I thought it would be another closed door. My experience was quite the opposite and for that I can only express a deep gratitude. Thank you to everyone who worked with me, I will never forget it…thank you for treating me like a person. Someone with my criminal background is accustomed to resentment and hostility. This was a very empowering experience for my self worth. Your team has some truly amazing folk and I am very thankful for them. ”
“Muchísimas gracias a CWS por haberme ayudado durante estos tres meses con una súper excelente vivienda, comida, internet, computadora con todo y con una excelente ayuda de vivienda para lograr ser autosuficiente nuevamente y para siempre, por haberme dado todo el soporte emocional, siempre fui tratada con respeto cordialidad y muy alta calidad humana por todas las trabajadoras de CWS…”
Residents staying at The Village have access to communal food and private refrigerators for themselves and their family.
Outdoor area at The Village.
Toys in the kids’ room at The Village.
In our community room we host a number of events from support groups, to yoga, to holiday celebrations, to karaoke.
Cutting the ribbon on the new shelter building, February 2018.
We welcome many different people at the Village and provide translation and interpretation for full language access.
Families staying at The Village have full access to laundry facilities.
One of the spaces in The Village.
Spaces at the Village are different sizes to accommodate different families.
Each of our spaces has a private TV, desk, and dresser.
The Village has an outdoor play area for kids to play in.
Staff are available 24/7 to support residents with everything from parenting help to just listening.