Laurel House

Counseling services/children's program:provided 9456 hours of individual and group counseling to domestic violence victims.provided 137 hours of specialized supportive services to 57 children who were affected by domestic violence.counseling services: trained domestic violence counselors are available in 4 different locations throughout montgomery county at no cost, to provide individual and group counseling to those affected by domestic violence, including dating violence. Counselors provided 9456 hours of counseling to victims of domestic violence, both to those living in the shelter and housing programs, and to those living in the community.children's program: the family advocate and the children's advocate are available to provide specialized support to any child whose parent participates in any laurel house service. 137 hours of service were provided to 57 children. The children's team also provided support to the parents of each of those children to ensure that they had the necessary tools and skills to meet their children's educational, developmental and medical needs.

Legal support/emergency response/advocacylegal support: staff members provide court accompaniment and other types of legal advocacy to domestic violence survivors to help them navigate the criminal and civil court systems. Laurel house provided over 948 hours of court accompaniment and other legal supports to program participants. Emergency response: staff and volunteers are trained to respond to requests from hospital emergency rooms and law enforcement. Immediate crisis response was provided to 746 victims referred by law enforcement, emergency rooms, and other medical offices. Advocacy: the organization also advocates for social change. Examples of advocacy activities include: staff member participation in community tasks forces and other committee work to address issues related to domestic violence; communication with elected officials to keep them informed of domestic violence issues; training new volunteers as domestic violence advocates in the community; partnering with businesses and individuals who host events featuring laurel house and messages of domestic violence awareness; and sponsoring an internship program that offers local college students practical experience in the field of domestic violence. A total of 27 graduate/undergraduate students particpated in the internship program this year.

Community education:provided 76 trainings about domestic violence and available resources to 962 community members, including medical and law enforcement professionals.provided 473 presentations about dating violence and healthy relationships, reaching over 6610 students in middle schools, high schools and colleges.community education: staff members provide training about domestic violence, including early warning signs of abuse and ways to help, to medical personnel, police departments, and other law enforcement personnel. A total of 76 trainings about domestic violence were provided to 962 community members. The organization also offers informational programs about domestic violence for students in elementary, middle and high schools, and colleges throughout montgomery county. At least 6610 students were educated via 473 presentations about dating violence and healthy relationships.