THE STARTLING TRUTH ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

It does affect your community…

A woman is beaten by her partner every 15 seconds Jane Doe, Inc., 2000

ABOUT US

History: In 1981 a group of dedicated community volunteers in Metro West Boston recognized the need for community services for women leaving abusive domestic relationships. With no model of domestic violence services to follow and no formal training in program development, these women overcame the odds and raised community funds to begin a home-based hotline service for domestic violence victims. Under their leadership, additional volunteers were trained to manage the expanded hotline program, and eventually a shelter facility providing safe haven for victims of violence was opened in 1983.

From these, grassroots beginnings, REACH (formerly the Support Committee for Battered Women), has blossomed into a multi-service agency providing prevention, intervention, and advocacy services to thousands of families. Our community programs focus on families on the 27 cities and towns in Greater Boston located in the Metro West suburbs, which include: Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Billerica, Boxborough, Burlington, Brookline, Carlisle, Concord, Dedham, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, Needham, Newton, Reading, Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn. Our hotline and shelters serve people from across the Commonwealth.

We changed our name in 2004 to REACH, an acronym for: Refuge, Education, Advocacy and CHange. Our current programs include 24-hour hotline services, emergency shelter and safe home, support groups, legal advocacy, specialized children’s services, community-based victim advocacy programs, outreach, education and training. REACH’s courage and unwavering commitment to serving survivors of domestic violence, and our leadership position in the field of violence against women, has helped countless survivors.

Goals: REACH’s mission is to advance the safety, healing, and empowerment of those who experience domestic or relationship violence, through direct services and education while promoting social justice for individuals and families of all backgrounds. REACH works to end domestic violence through community education and early intervention. REACH provides adults and their children with the sanctuary and support services necessary to empower their realization of permanent safety, financial independence and well-being. Additionally, REACH provides extensive preventive education to the community, particularly teens, to break the cycle of domestic violence and reduce the long-term harms associated with domestic violence.

Key Achievements: Since its inception, REACH has been recognized for its many key achievements in innovative program development and leadership in the field of domestic violence.

In 2008, REACH:

• Provided emergency shelter to 48 individuals, 24 of whom were children.
• Answered 2,522 crisis calls.
• Served 65 adults through weekly support group meetings.
• Assisted 240 individuals with legal matters or court accompaniment.
• Offered support through the Hope Project, a cutting edge program addressing the intersection of domestic violence, substance abuse and sex work/prostitution.
• Collaborated with community organizations to provide culturally competent services to the underserved Latina and East Asian communities in Metro West Boston.