In 1982, the agency received grant funds to implement a domestic violence program. For the next several years, services included shelter referral, court advocacy, and weekly support group. In 1994, Freedom House, Rockingham County’s first and only domestic violence shelter opened its doors.
Since opening Freedom House, the agency has expanded its advocacy program to include law enforcement, judicial, and healthcare systems. In 1998, Help, Inc. began offering services to victims of sexual violence, as well.
The agency has become a leading rural service provider in the state through innovative efforts to address the multifaceted needs of victims across the lifespan. Special programs and initiatives include: law enforcement ride along, comprehensive domestic elder abuse services, Latinx outreach, therapeutic groups, a county-wide comprehensive domestic violence assessment process, and multidisciplinary case management for both elder and child victims.
In January, 2010, the agency expanded to include Kaleidoscope Children’s Advocacy Center. Therapeutic intervention, forensic interviewing, and medical evaluation, are a few services offered through Kaleidoscope. Multidisciplinary Case Review is perhaps the most critical service, being that it brings a coordinated response to cases of child abuse in Rockingham County. The District Attorney’s office, Department of Social Services, law enforcement, forensic interviewers, medical evaluators, mental health providers, and advocates review cases jointly every month to ensure that children receive the best services, offenders are held accountable, and that victims and their families are given the best chances for healing.
In 2016, Help, Incorporated launched an initiative to transform into a Family Justice Center to better serve the victim populations in Rockingham County. Help, Incorporated also expanded to serve human trafficking victims and began a special focus on LBGTQ victims and students who are victims of sexual, cyber, and physical bullying.