Personified

Peace at Home works to make name a reality

Teresa Mills Peace at Home Family Shelter Chief Executive Officer
Teresa Mills Peace at Home Family Shelter Chief Executive Officer

Teresa Mills

Peace at Home Family Shelter

Courage Luncheon

Who: Peace at Home Family Shelter

What: Lunch, Courage Awards presentations

When: 11:30 a.m. Oct. 26

Where: Mermaids Seafood Restaurant

Tickets: Admission is free, but reservations are required

Information: (479) 444-8310 or peaceathomeshelter.…

Chief Executive Officer

Tell us about your organization:

Mission:

Peace at Home Family Shelter's mission is to empower victims of family violence and their children to survive and thrive by nurturing their self-determination and courage; and to promote healthy relationships and compassionate communities through education, outreach and advocacy.

Services provided:

Peace at Home provides a 24/7 crisis hotline (877-442-9811) for victims of domestic violence to receive emergency assistance, safety planning or supportive services. We offer an emergency safe shelter for women, men and children whose homes have become unsafe due to domestic violence. We provide free legal services, including representation in court, transitional housing, rental assistance, mental health services and children's services.

Service area:

We primarily serve families from Northwest Arkansas, although our services are available to any victim from across the United States.

Average number of people served annually:

1,000 families reach out to Peace at Home each year. 50 percent of our emergency shelter residents are children.

How is your organization's mission unique?

After many years of seeing the barriers that survivors face, Peace at Home made an organizational commitment to develop programs specifically tied to eliminating those barriers including providing free legal services, longer shelter stays and flexible services for survivors.

Why do you work for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it?

I work for Peace at Home Family Shelter because I believe families have a right to be safe in their own homes. I believe individuals who experience violence deserve compassion, and that I have a moral obligation to help.

What part of your job fills the most of your time?

Two things take most of my time: building relationships with community partners both on a regional and national level and investing in my staff. Front-line staff who work with survivors can experience burnout from secondary trauma. Ensuring their wellness is essential to providing high-quality services.

What have you learned on the job that you didn't expect?

Patience and flexibility. Working in a 24/7 crisis organization means that your day is often not what you planned. In order to be present for the families we serve and the challenges they are facing, you have to sometimes throw out the to-do list and rearrange your day at the last minute.

What challenges face your organization?

The biggest challenge facing our organization is that the demand for services continues to outstrip capacity. Just last year we expanded our emergency safe shelter by 50 percent. Those beds were filled in 24 hours.

Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they?

Yes, volunteers are essential partners for organization. Individuals and groups are welcome at our thrift store to process donations. Contact Mitzi at (479) 973-9571 for more information.

What upcoming fundraisers and/or other events does your organization have planned?

Peace at Home Family Shelter's seventh annual Courage Luncheon is Oct. 26at Mermaids Restaurant in Fayetteville. The Courage Luncheon honors individuals who have shown fortitude, strength and dedication to empowering domestic violence survivors and their families. This year we honor three long-serving board members, Gail Eads, David Pieper and Erick Schermerhorn. The event is free; contact Eva Terry at (479) 444-8310 or [email protected] for more details.

-- Carin Schoppmeyer

[email protected]

NAN Profiles on 10/14/2018

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