Headquartered
Newton, Massachusetts

Web Site
www.thesecondstep.org

Contact Information
Office Telephone #: 617-965-2026
Email: info@TheSecondStep.org

Philosophy
In the United States alone, every year two to six million women are battered. This represents 25% of all families. Domestic violence accounts for as much as 35% of all emergency department visits by women. Abused women stay in abusive situations because they feel they have no place to go or have no skills to help them survive. The Second Step was founded to give these women a chance to begin a new life for themselves and their children.

Vision
The Second Step was founded and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1988 by Nancy Doutteil, Lisa Giudice, Margaret Grometstein, and Ellen Schoendorf. These four women, who had previous experience as volunteers and board members for battered women’s crisis shelters, realized that a short stay in a crisis shelter was unlikely to help a woman break away from an abusive situation. The founders believed that what a woman suffering from domestic abuse needs most is a sustainable program that helps her become financially independent and emotionally self-sufficient. Thus, The Second Step was born.

Today, The Second Step provides transitional housing and a wide variety of supportive services to survivors of domestic violence. The Second Step adheres to the principles of self-help, peer support, and empowerment. The organization is open to all survivors of domestic violence who are ready to leave crisis shelters or who are referred from other counseling programs or licensed individuals. Residents are expected to get a job or to enroll in school or a job-training program. Our goal is to help women find a way from violence to self-reliance.

Profiles of Women
Women come from the city and the suburbs. They are in their 20s, 30s, or 40s and are single and married. They arrive alone or with up to four children. They have minimal education and they have master’s degrees. They are Caucasian, Afro-American, Hispanic, and Asian. They are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim. They are receptionists, nurses, teachers, food preparers, bio-technicians, home health aids, switchboard operators, administrative assistants, computer technicians, day care teachers, draftsmen, and cashiers. They could be your mother, sister, daughter, friend, employer, or employee.

The Second Step has a proud record of success:

• 97% of our graduates remain abuse free
• 85% now live independently
• 80% are no longer on welfare

The Second Step Milestones
1991: Founders received a five-year HUD McKinney Supportive Housing Grant that let them begin the program in earnest in Newton, Massachusetts. Additional funds were raised through other grants and donations.

1995: The Second Step was awarded another Supportive Housing Grant to work with families and women after they complete the program or leave before completing the program. Some of the money from this grant went to the purchase of a three-family house in Newton. This residence allows families to remain in a supportive and safe environment for an additional period of time after the women complete the Second Step program.

1997: Through a third Supportive Housing Grant, The Second Step was able to offer an innovative therapeutic after-school program for the children of its residents. Staffed by two full-time teachers, the program provides academic enrichment, emotional support, and a chance to begin to heal from the abuse the children have witnessed and endured.

1998: The Second Step received the prestigious Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award in recognition of its exemplary service to families and neighborhoods.

September 2000: The board of directors approved the purchase of a 16-room Newton residence in response to having to turn away up to 50 families a year because of inadequate living space.

February 2001: The Second Step broke ground for renovating its newly acquired residence. With this addition, The Second Step expects to double its residential capacity.

January 2002: The Second Step launched its capital campaign to raise money to renovate its new residence and to expand its programs. The campaign raised $3 million, with $1.1 million coming from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

December 2002: The Second Step opened its new second residence.

Funding
The Second Step receives funding for annual operating expenses from a variety of grants and donations. Forty percent is raised through donations from individuals, businesses, groups, private foundations, and special fundraising events held throughout the year. The Second Step also receives grants for operating expenses from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Community Block Development funding through the City of Newton, and grants from Department of Social Services (DSS) through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Management Team