“I was desperate, crying all of the time, sad. A friend told me about Rainbow House.... I came to Rainbow House and they helped my children and me with therapy, food, and clothes. There were even gifts for the children at Christmas.” -Rainbow House Client

For more than a quarter century, Rainbow House has provided services, extended resources and offered programs designed to address the immediate needs of survivors as well as to assist women and children from all walks of life in all stages of recovery. Our goal, at Rainbow House, is to offer survivors the resources and support they need to transform their lives and reclaim their independence. Our mission is to mend families.

From government reports and statistics we know that domestic violence takes many forms and can affect women and children of all cultures, classes, ages, and incomes. For nearly three decades, Rainbow House has been at the forefront of efforts in Chicago to end domestic violence. In addition to answering the immediate needs of survivors in aggressive and innovative ways, Rainbow House also endeavors to address the wider paradigms that lead to the cycle of violence. Education and efforts at prevention are key components. Rainbow House also offers several programs that form a holistic continuum of support and service. Among these programs are:

Our Community Resource Program
The Rainbow House Community Resource Program (CRP) was established in 1986 to help connect survivors of domestic violence to the services and resources they need to build lives free of abuse and battery. In addition to emergency assistance and crisis intervention, Rainbow House offers individual and group counseling; children’s therapy, legal advocacy, case management; educational and community outreach, and systems advocacy. Rainbow House also offers a wide variety of referrals for often crucial services such as housing assistance, immigration support, job training, ESL and GED instruction, and alcohol and substance abuse counseling.

Located in the Little Village community, Rainbow House is the only agency in the City of Chicago focused exclusively on the needs of women, children and families in the Latino community, though all are welcome and we encourage survivors from other communities to take advance of the extraordinary and often individualized resources we offer. Our services are bilingual and bi-cultural. During the 2006 fiscal year, services were provided to 480 women and children from communities across the City of Chicago. If you need help or simply would like to learn more about our programs, please call Rainbow House at (773) 521-1815. All inquiries are held in the strictest confidence.

The Woman’s Advocate
To ensure that survivors get the help they need, Rainbow House offers survivors the services of a Woman’s Advocate. The Woman’s Advocate forms the apex of our assistance to survivors. The Woman’s Advocate is responsible for coordinating direct services to be provided to clients. She is also responsible for outreach efforts in the community. The Woman’s Advocate provides case management services and meets weekly with survivors on an individual basis. (Due to the high desire for confidentiality, adult counseling services are conducted individually, rather than in a group therapy setting.) In addition, the Woman’s Advocate offers emotional and health counseling, advocacy as well as support related to safety plans, legal and financial planning, divorce, custody issues, employment, the effects of abuse on client’s children, and many other issues arising from abusive situations. Clients generally receive services for long periods of time, often several years. The Rainbow House Woman’s Advocate helps them work through not only long-term emotional issues but (with the assistance of the Legal Advocate and several pro-bono attorneys) complicated legal proceedings as well.

Legal Advocacy Services
At Rainbow House, our Legal Advocacy Program provides advocacy services to the survivors of domestic violence. The role of our Advocates is to help survivors navigate the legal system. This includes helping survivors obtain the protection they may need to shield themselves and their children. Through our Little Village location, by telephone, or in person at the court house, a Rainbow House Legal Advocate will assess the immediate emotional and physical needs of a survivor to help restore the victim’s sense of security. A Rainbow House Legal Advocate will assist the client in filing criminal and civil Orders of Protection. Our Legal Advocates are not attorneys. But they can explain the court procedures and the remedies available to our clients. Legal Advocates also accompany survivors to court and are present at follow-up court dates. A Rainbow House Legal Advocate will also follow up with the client in phone calls to a safe number to provide information on case disposition, counseling, advocacy, and reminders of court dates. The Advocate also assists clients with appointments for additional court proceedings, including divorce and child support issues. Finally, the Rainbow House Legal Advocate provides referrals for any other related advocacy including legal referrals, shelter, long-term individual or group counseling, etc.

The Children’s Program
An essential part of the work we do at Rainbow House involves early intervention. Accordingly, we attempt to address the physical, emotional, and educational needs of children who have been exposed to domestic violence. Central to this effort is a Children’s Counselor, who helps access and devise a program that best suits the children who visit us. Rainbow House also has a licensed Children’s Therapist on staff, who meets with the children of clients once a week to provide individual counseling to address the emotional and developmental needs of children affected by abuse through individual, group, and family counseling; non-directive play therapy; art therapy; health care; and educational advocacy. The job of the Children’s Therapist is to provide a safe and confidential space for children to express their feelings and work through the trauma of witnessing abuse and to advocated on behalf on the child.

Domestic Violence Prevention and Education Program
The Rainbow House Domestic Violence Prevention and Education Program is directed at the roots of domestic violence by providing community education, training and public policy work to individuals and organizations at a local, regional and national level. Through collaborations with the Kid Care program, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Child and Family Connections, and La Rabida’s Children’s Advocacy Center, Rainbow House helps connect children in need to a wide variety of health services, developmental screenings, and treatment options. Rainbow House also offers a series of therapeutic programs for children that are intended to stop the cycle of abuse from recurring in the next generation. In addition, given our close working relationship with the Chicago Public Schools, Rainbow House offers public education programs designed to promote stability for children and reduce the stress of family violence as well as to raise awareness and to prevent the ongoing effects of violence and on our families and communities.

Access to Chicago’s 24-Hour Hotline
Rainbow House is a partner in Access to Chicago, the 24-Hour Crisis Hotline (1-877-863-6338) that is multilingual and TTY accessible support. Information, shelter referrals and support service is available around the clock to abuse victims and survivors of domestic violence through the Access to Chicago Hotline. This hotline often serves as the first contact women make when escaping a violent home.

The Board of Directors
Angel Beltran, Chair
Rosy Mares, Vice Chair
Stephanie Vasconcellos, Secretary
Pat Antos, Treasurer
Alison Dietrichs Alvarez
Nilda Esparza
Carol Hetman

Kathleen Higgins, Executive Director

If you would like to be considered for service on the Board of Directors, please call us at (773) 521-1815. We would appreciate hearing from you.

The Advisory Board
Mary Krupka
Gregory Salvatore
Victoria Donati
Dan Dehmlow
Alyson Ogden

Volunteers
Like most not-for-profits, Rainbow House can always use well-trained volunteers to assist in many of the aspects of the work we do. Volunteer opportunities ranging from working directly with women and children to offering administrative support or helping to organize one of our two annual events are available. At Rainbow House, we will put your talents, skills, expertise where they are most needed. If you are interested in serving your community as a volunteer at Rainbow House, please contact us at (773) 521-1815.

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