Unity Home brings hope - and a chance for you to offer your support
Nearly one in three women experience at least one physical assault by an intimate partner during their adulthood. That's not acceptable, and domestic violence isn't just about physical assault. Domestic violence is a pattern of controlling, abusive behavior. It's a pattern that can be prevented and stopped, and needs to be.
Don't think it can't happen to you. Domestic violence is something that can happen to anyone. Here in the hi-desert, Unity Home has been providing education, advocacy, and support to victims of domestic violence and their families for more than 35 years.
Unity Home is hosting their annual fundraiser, the Wild West Showdown, on Saturday, October 21. This is a fun way to support an organization that deals with very serious societal problems. Tickets are $25 per person, and admission includes a BBQ dinner, live music, dancing, a silent auction, no host bar, and the extremely popular dessert auction.
Entertainment for the western themed event will be provided by the superb Lisa and the Gents, winners of the Coachella Vallely Music Awards "Best Country Band" category. Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be "Sheriff" Bob Armstrong.
This year's event will be held at the Boys and Girls Club of the Hi-Desert in Yucca Valley. Tickets are available at the Morongo Basin Unity Home's outreach offices at 7237 Joshua Lane in Yucca Valley, or at the Morongo Basin Unity Home Thrift Shop in downtown Joshua Tree at 61605 29 Palms Highway. All proceeds benefit the domestic violence programs and services provided by Morongo Basin Unity Home.
Please call 760-366-0663, extension 2, for ticket information and reservations, or email outreach@unityhome.org.
What Unity Home provides...
Shelter
Morongo Basin Unity Home has a 30 bed emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence. Women and their children who are victims of domestic violence may stay at our confidential shelter up to 45 days. In this home setting, they receive a comprehensive program designed to raise their self-esteem and assist them in achieving a life free from abuse.
24 Hour Crisis Line
Morongo Basin Unity Home operates the only 24 hour domestic violence crisis line servings victims of domestic violence in the Morongo Basin. Unity Home’s crisis line provides crisis intervention counseling and ongoing victim support, information on domestic violence and referrals to Unity Home’s programs and all social service agencies within the Morongo Basin and San Bernardino County. Unity Home’s crisis line is answered by trained bilingual domestic violence counselors and advocates.
Domestic Violence Program
Many battered women believe they are failures as wives, mothers and women because they do not know how to stop or avoid the abuse. While at Unity Home’s emergency shelter, victims receive peer and professional counseling, both in groups and individually to give clients the tools to stop this pattern of abuse. The shelter holds regularly scheduled domestic violence related groups each week.
Substance Abuse Program
Often, victim is of domestic violence will use drugs or alcohol to either relieve the physical and emotional pain or join the abuse in the hopes that he will stop hitting her if she is a port of his lifestyle. This is not intended to enable or make excuses for the victim, it is a fact. In any case, she may find that she has the added problem of addiction. Morongo Basin Unity home is one of the few domestic violence shelters in the California equipped to assist victims of domestic violence with a substance abuse problem. While in shelter, if a victim has substance abuse as an issue, she may attend in shelter substance abuse groups.
Legal Advocacy and Court Support
Para-legal services are available to victims of domestic violence booth through the shelter and through Unity Home’s outreach. These services allow victims of domestic violence to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order, Child Custody Order and to have emotional support in court. Court can be a very traumatic experience for anyone, especially someone who is in fear for their life. Trained domestic violence court advocates talk with the victim prior to attending court, inform her of her rights and accompany her to court to assist in making this a less traumatic experience.
Supervised Visitation
Court ordered supervised visitation is available through Morongo Basin Unity home to assist the children in having a positive relationship with the visiting parent. Often when allegations of abuse or neglect are involved, this is the only safe way for the courts to award visitation.
Outreach Services
Outreach services are available for victims who are not in need of emergency shelter. Unity Home’s Outreach offers crisis counseling, parenting classes, women’s support group, codependency group, legal and court advocacy, and supervised visitation. These services are offered through the Morongo Basin Unity Home’s Outreach Office.
Community Education
Morongo Basin Unity Home offers a 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training Classes regularly at the Outreach Office. This class is mandatory to all staff members and new volunteers. Unity Homme also offers training to hospitals and emergency room staff on recognizing the signs of domestic violence. Speakers from Unity Home’s Outreach provide community groups with information about domestic violence and services available to the community.
Transitional Housing
The purpose of Morongo Basin Unity Home’s Transitional Housing program is to offer women and their children, who are survivors of domestic violence, the opportunity to build new independent lives. To be eligible for the transitional housing program, the women must be graduates of a battered women’s shelter program and the transitional client must agree to return to school or return to the work place. Housing is furnished for up to 18 months, with support groups and classes held at the transitional housing facilities and Unity Home’s Outreach Office. This program is designed to prepare families for independence as they develop the skills to become self- supporting members of the community.
History of Morongo Basin Unity Home
For over 35 years, the Morongo Basin Unity Home has been providing vital services to the victims of domestic violence and their families.
1982… Morongo Basin Unity Home volunteers staff the first crisis line in the Morongo Basin and open the doors of Unity Home to women and their children who are victims of domestic violence.
1987… The State of California incorporated and granted nonprofit status to Morongo Basin Unity Home.
1988… Unity Home opens an Outreach Office to members of the community who do not need shelter but need domestic violence services.
1991… Unity Home was the first shelter-based program in San Bernardino County to implement Court Ordered Supervised Visitation.
1995… Unity Home acquired six, two-bedroom apartments to be utilized for Transitional Housing.
1996… Unity Home opens Transitional Housing Program Unity Home joined the few domestic violence shelters in the United States in having a Substance Abuse program in shelter.
1997… Unity Home grows from 15 beds to 30 beds. Unity Home offers bi-lingual services in shelter and through the crisis line.
1999… Unity Home expands its outreach services in the Morongo Basin and services the Needles community. Unity Home offers a teen Domestic Violence program. Construction is completed at the Emergency Shelter.
2000… Unity Home acquires two additional Transitional Housing Apartments
2012… Unity Home opens a thrift shop to add financial support for the programs and services offered.
2016…. Unity Home relocates the Outreach Office to Yucca Valley to expand services After 35 years of providing domestic Violence service to hi-desert communities, Morongo Basin Unity Home provides support and services to over 100 clients each month. Since its inception, over 35,000 clients have received support to develop the life skills to break the pattern of domestic violence.