Service Area

RESPOND is headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts and serves cities and towns throughout Greater Boston and beyond, including Somerville, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester and Woburn, Massachusetts. RESPOND often provides services to women and their children who reside outside the Boston area, and even statewide, nationally, and internationally as needed. The agency also conducts outreach and preventative educational programs across the region and the United States.

Confidentiality

RESPOND protects the confidentiality of all current and past program participants to ensure both safety and privacy. To protect the safety of program participants, staff, and volunteers the location of the shelter is strictly confidential and is never given out to anyone other than program participants. RESPOND's office is housed in a secure building; the location is not publicized and kept semi-confidential. Please be advised RESPOND cannot confirm or acknowledge individuals participating in our programs regardless of relationship or profession.

Individual Advocacy and Support Groups

RESPOND staff offer emotional support and individualized advocacy in areas such as housing, the law, welfare and entitlements, childcare, education, and healthcare. Support groups provide a safe, confidential space for women to talk, share information, and learn about options for creating safety for themselves and their children.  Advocates currently offer services in English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole.

24-Hour Hotline TTY       617-623-5900

RESPOND staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to listen, provide emotional support, and offer information about RESPOND, shelter availability, increasing safety, and advocacy. They are fluent in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and French. The hotline is equipped with TTY for the hearing impaired.

Legal Advocacy

RESPOND advocates are present in the Somerville and Malden Courts several days a week to assist victims of domestic violence through the restraining order (209A) process, as well as to provide information, translation, safety planning, emotional support, and informed referrals.

Emergency Shelter

Through our emergency shelter program, RESPOND provides safe, confidential housing for up to eleven women and children every night of the year. Once our capital campaign is complete in June 2007, our capacity will double.  Last year, RESPOND provided shelter for 38 women and 42children. RESPOND welcomes women of all ages, income levels, and backgrounds with their children (from 0-18 years of age, including teenage boys).

Children’s Services

RESPOND is committed to helping women and their children live violence-free lives. Staff and volunteers are trained in the special needs of children who have been impacted by domestic violence. Our direct service staff provide and arrange for child care when women come for appointments or group meetings. We spend quality time with children, running arts and crafts projects, story time, and interactive play sessions. We recognize that providing therapy to children who have been witnesses or victims of violence is a specialized field. RESPOND supports women who are healing themselves and their families by making much needed referrals for women seeking counseling services for their children, including through a partnership with the Guidance Center, Inc.

911 Emergency Cell Phones

Thanks to the Verizon HOPE Line and donations from the community, RESPOND is able to distribute emergency cell phones so women have immediate access to 911 if they are in danger.  Please call our hotline at 617-623-5900 if you need an emergency cell phone.