Waves of Change

Last year, HAVEN made waves of change when we shifted many of our services and programs to be more virtual in order to serve more people safely, including our annual auction. Although we are excited to be back in person for our largest annual fundraiser, we are keeping our week long auction available to all our supporters online! All the funds raised during this time will go directly to programming that we offer for free. Some of the programming could be: trainings for teachers on child abuse reporting mandates and trauma, support groups, shelter residents transitioning to HAVEN's Housing First program to find long-term stable housing, and so much more.

HAVEN is the largest violence prevention and support services organization in NH, serving 48 cities and towns with a population of almost 400,000 people.

HAVEN is dedicated to addressing public health through violence prevention and improving the well-being of children and families. Our mission is to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking and to support and empower women, youth, men and families to heal from abuse and rebuild their lives.

Unlike most nonprofits, HAVEN’s operations don’t close at five o’clock: our crisis hotline never goes to voicemail and our trained staff and volunteers are available whenever and wherever a crisis arises. We do this for our neighbors as well as yours, for coworkers and relatives, adults and children. This is our community and it is our goal to End Violence and Change Lives.

One of the ways HAVEN accomplishes this goal is through its K-12 Safe Kids Strong Teens violence prevention education programs which aim to prevent child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, sexual assault and teen dating violence. The goal of this program is to influence attitudes and behavior and thereby reduce the likelihood of youth becoming victims of sexual or relationship violence, and to help young women and men to build self-esteem and improve their lives.

HAVEN also provides a residential emergency shelter exclusively for victims of domestic and sexual violence and their children. In order to ensure their future success, HAVEN provides all shelter residents with case management services that focus on overcoming obstacles to securing safe, permanent housing. Residents receive financial literacy training, and assistance in securing transportation, employment, health care and child care resources. In addition to this, our Housing First program staff work on developing a community housing network through work with landlords, public housing authorities and other housing programs. Our goal is to not just provide crisis support, but to provide the tools people need to rebuild their lives and thrive after the crisis period has subsided.

These programs are further supported by a comprehensive client services program that includes:
• 24-hour confidential crisis and support hotline 1-603-994-SAFE (7233)
• 24-hour accompaniment to police stations and hospital emergency rooms
• Accompaniment to courts and assistance obtaining restraining orders
• Safety planning
• Support and accompaniment for families at the Rockingham and Strafford County Child Advocacy Centers
• Support groups for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and Trauma Sensitive Yoga