About Us
HOPE offers supportive services, opportunities for healing, and community education to assist victims, and end violence and abuse.
Mission Statement
The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center, Inc. offers supportive services, opportunities for healing, and community education to assist victims, and end violence and abuse.
Our Values
Empowerment
We value individual choice and believe in greater possibilities when choices are heard and respected. Our advocacy focuses on information and options to assist in the restoration of power for each individual.
Social Justice
We value our role as advocated for social justice for survivors of domestic violence and in the community, at-large. We believe in the thought that “Justice for All” is necessary to create “Justice for Everyone”
Safety
We value safety. We intend to create physical, emotional, social and moral safety within our organization and the communities we serve.
Social Change
We value social change. HOPE is an organization of social change, as such; we recognize our roles as “agents of change”. To that end, HOPE engages in systems advocacy designed to change society’s behaviors, values, or social institutions that create oppression.
Respect
We value respect and diversity and envision an organization and society that is culturally competent. We will offer and expect respect for all stakeholders. We respect all individuals, value their contributions, and acknowledge that we are all important to the success of our mission and the HOPE Center as a whole.
Integrity
We value integrity. Hope encourages an organization that demonstrates the highest ethical standards; honesty and fairness. We expect our actions to be consistent with our words and our words to be consistent with our intentions.
Our Statistics
Direct Service
Empowerment
- Recipients of Service – Women – 2787 / Men – 426 / Children – 158
- Adults in Shelter – 147 / 3011 nights
- Children in Shelter – 127 / 3242 nights
- Adults in Transitional – 12
- Children in transitional – 18
- Turnaways – 704
- Assisted Participants With Filing for a PFA – 1114
- Total Direct Service Hours – 16898
Prevention Education
- Programs to Adults – 127 / 1887 adults reached
- Programs to Children – 437 / 11863 Children reached
What Is Domestic Violence?
Domestic Violence is a pattern of control and abusive behavior to gain compliance over an intimate partner or others residing in the same home. Abuse affects ALL people; it knows no boundaries.
You may be in an emotionally abusive relationship if your partner:
- Calls you names, insults you, or continually criticizes you.
- Does not trust you and acts jealous or possessive.
- Tries to keep you away from family or friends.
- Monitors where you go, who you call, and who you spend time with.
- Does not want you to work.
- Controls finances or refuses to share money.
- Punishes you by withholding affection.
- Expects you to ask permission.
- Threatens to hurt you, the children, your family, or your pets. Humiliates you in any way.
You may be in a physically abusive relationship if your partner has ever:
- Damaged property when angry (thrown objects, punched walls, kicked doors, etc.).
- Pushed, slapped, bitten, kicked, or choked you.
- Abandoned you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place.
- Scared you by driving recklessly.
- Used a weapon to threaten or hurt you.
- Forced you to leave your home.
- Trapped you in your home or kept you from leaving.
- Prevented you from calling the police or seeking medical attention.
- Hurt your children.
- Used physical force in sexual situations.
You may be in a sexually abusive relationship if your partner:
- Views women as objects and believes in rigid gender roles.
- Accuses you of cheating or is often jealous of your outside relationships.
- Wants you to dress in a sexual way.
- Insults you in sexual ways or calls you sexual names.
- Has ever forced or manipulated you into having sex or performing sexual acts.
- Held you down during sex.
- Demanded sex when you were sick, tired, or after beating you.
- Hurt you with weapons or objects during sex.
- Involved other people in sexual activities with you.
- Ignored your feelings regarding sex.
If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions you may be in an abusive relationship.
You can contact the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center at 1-888-299-4673 if you would like to talk about it. Our services are free and confidential.
SAFETY PLAN
Follow this plan to maintain your safety and the safety of your family.
Know where you can get help
Keep a list of important phone numbers (police, domestic violence hotline, hospital) with you. Visit our resources and links page for more information on local help.
Plan with your children. Identify a safe place for them (room with a lock, neighbor’s house). Let them know that their job is to stay safe, not to protect you.
Arrange a signal with a neighbor for when you need help.
Prepare an emergency kit
Make sure it is something that you can get to quickly. You may want to keep it at a trusted friend’s/neighbor’s house.
Make sure to include the following items:
- Extra set of car and house keys
- Money, food stamps, checkbook, credit cards, pay stubs birth certificates, and other ID for you and your children
- Driver’s license or other photo identification
- Social Security card or green card/work permit
- Health insurance cards, medication for you and your children deed or lease to your house or apartment
- Any court papers or orders
- Change of clothes for you and your children
Plan the safest time to getaway
Know which doors, windows, etc. provide an escape. Practice with your children for an emergency.
Get medical help
If necessary, seek medical attention right away. Make sure to explain what happened and ask them to document it. Have the doctor, nurse or a friend take pictures of your injuries/bruises. Save any ripped or bloody clothes.
Talk to someone about what you can do next.
Call a 24-hour domestic violence program hot-line
Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center
24-hour HOTLINE: 1-888-299-HOPE (1-888-299-4673)
Prevention Education Department: 724-224-1100
Read more about DV in our pamphlet on the Cycle of Violence.
Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center Staff List
All Staff can be reached by telephone at our administration offices 724-224-1100 between the hours of 8 am – 4 pm and by filling out a form on our Contact Page.
| Name | Title | Programs | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Michelle Gibb |
Executive Director |
|
MichelleG@akhopecenter.org |
|
Pat McKenna |
Fiscal Director |
|
PatM@akhopecenter.org |
|
Shelley Radebach |
Executive Assistant |
|
ShelleyR@akhopecenter.org |
|
Lindsay Taiani |
Director of Supportive Services |
Shelter and Legal Advocacy Services
SAF-T Program |
LindsayT@akhopecenter.org |
|
Erin Gillette |
Coordinator of Residential Services |
Shelter and Transitional Housing Programs |
ErinG@akhopecenter.org |
|
Allison Kowalewski, Esquire |
Civil Legal Representation |
CLR |
AllisonK@akhopecenter.org |
Board of Directors
Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center Board List
| Position | Name | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
|
President- |
Ganele Ydreos |
Woodforest Bank – Assistant Manager |
|
Vice President – |
Ms. Terri Galvach |
|
|
Treasurer – |
Mr. Robert M. Simko |
|
|
Secretary – |
Ms. Valerie Johnson |
|
|
President, Emeritus |
Dr. W. James Legge |
Pastor |
|
Board Member |
Audrey Johnson |
|
|
Board Member |
Mr. John Kamarados |
Attorney, Kamarados Law Offices |
|
Board Member |
Ms. Marsha Campbell |
Senior Employee Relations Consultant |
|
Board Member |
Ms. Kelly Drum |
|
