History
Founded by a survivor of violent crime in 1996, Portal To Hope (“PTH”) is an award-winning, nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive services to people whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes. More than twenty years later, PTH remains a community-based organization driven by the voices of survivors. Serving Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Winthrop and neighboring Massachusetts communities, PTH provides direct care help to an average of 900 survivors each year.
Having had its start in 1996 through the help of Rev. Frank Silva and the Immaculate Conception Parish in Malden and Rev. Paul Garrity and St. Mary’s Parish in Lynn, PTH began providing support services to people struggling with abuse. Equally important as an initiative was that PTH brought together survivors and community leaders to establish community-based support for survivors and their families; and as a group of action, established the PTH Domestic Violence Task Force to promote violence prevention education and pursue change within the criminal justice system. These efforts were for the purpose of ensuring that additional safety measures were in place for survivors. PTH works on a grassroots level to educate the public about the consequences of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes – including the impact that these crimes have – not only in individual and family lives but, also, in workplace, school, religious and neighborhood environments. Over the years, PTH’s in-demand Speakers Bureau has been called-upon to facilitate violence prevention educational efforts around the country, including to civic and religious organizations, educational institutions, law enforcement, hospitals and medical facilities, and other agencies.
Direct care services provided by PTH to survivors and their families include: (i) Benevolence Project; (ii) crisis Intervention and emergency shelter; (iii) Legal Aid and Victim Advocacy in the courts; (iv) Healing & Recovery, including Support Groups; (v) job and housing search assistance; (vi) Veterans’s Program; and (vii) Youth programs, including Erin’s Project and mentoring (e.g., PTH’s 11th Grade Summer Internship Program).
Erin’s Project serves youth ages fifteen – eighteen who have fled from abusive environments, resulting in homelessness. Supported at its inception by the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, this program helps to coordinate: housing, including through the help of the Department of Children and Families; education; and other services for youth impacted by family violence in order that they achieve happy, healthy lives free from abuse. The goal of Erin’s Project is to help stabilize homeless youth impacted by abuse via developing safety plans and coordinating housing and educational support, so that youth experiencing crises have opportunities to remain in school and move on to higher education in order that they may enhance their future employment opportunities. This program continues to be supported by Empire Beauty School of Malden, where faculty and students raise stabilization funds that are directly utilized by program participants for emergency shelter and educational purposes.
Through the help of Mayor David Ragucci and Police Chief James Rogers, in 1998, PTH partnered with the City of Everett and Everett Police Department to create the first law enforcement response team of its kind in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, known as the Everett Victim Advocacy Project (“EVAPorate Violence“). A one-stop, community-based service site, EVAPorate Violence was featured on the national talk show, The Montel Williams Show, and was honored by the United States Conference of Mayors for its outstanding achievement in improving city livability. EVAPorate Violence serves as an effective program model for other communities to adopt in the effort to reduce recidivism of domestic violence crime. Through the further help of Mayor Carlo DeMaria, Jr. and the Mayor’s Office of Human Services, PTH and EVAPorate Violence continue to adapt to the increasingly diverse community needs, offering lawyer-of-the-day assistance and longer-term emergency shelter stays for survivors fleeing from abuse; and in partnership with Police Chief Steven Mazzie and the members of the Everett Police Department, EVAPorate Violence regularly facilitates violence preventon activities that work in complement to intervention services.
In 2000, PTH partnered with Hallmark Health (now known as MelroseWakefield Healthcare). Working in support of medical staff at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the Malden Family Health Center, PTH’s team works onsite to serve survivors and their families, helping to ensure self-care and advance the health of patients seeking relief from abuse. Thanks to PTH’s partnership with MelroseWakefield Healthcare’s Community Services office, PTH and MelroseWakefield Healthcare provide training to medical staff and communities, cultivating neighborhoods that support survivors as they heal in the aftermath of domestic violence crime.
By partnering with local schools, PTH regularly facilitates family and teen-dating violence prevention education to faculty and students, enouraging youth leadership in the cause to end abuse; and the organization’s youth programs have been reported in editions of “Report To The Nation; America’s Promise – The Alliance For Youth” for its innovation in empowering youth.
The very word “portal” in the organization’s name identifies that behind PTH’s doors is hope and opportunities for survivors to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes. PTH’s mission is to promote equality, respect for individuality and to help ensure that survivors live happy, healthy lives, safe from abuse.
PTH relies heavily on its volunteers and program partners to serve crime victims and support the neighborhoods of Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford and Winthrop. To learn more about how you can get involved in our mission, please call (781) 338-7678. PTH encourages survivors to share their voices by joining PTH’s Domestic Violence Task Force and Speakers Bureau.
Portal To Hope is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization. All Portal To Hope services are free.