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New Directions Center,
Inc. a United Way agency, is a non-profit community organization which
provides crisis intervention, emergency housing, food, clothing and transportation
to women, children and men impacted by emotional, physical and sexual
violence in the Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County areas.
New Directions Center,
Inc. was created on July 1, 1996 by the merging of The Blue Ridge Sexual
Assault Center and Alternatives for Abused Adults. It is our belief that
persons have a right to live free and determine their own response to
emotional, physical and sexual violence.
NO
ONE DESERVES TO BE ABUSED
Emotional, physical and sexual violence are expressions of a disorder
of power, both between the victim and offender, and within our social
structure as a whole. Therefore, services are community-focused as well
as individual-focused. The Center's philosophy is guided by the perspective
that these issures are a societal problem, and not only an individual
problem, and that all individuals have the right to be free of violence.
Assault victims, like other citizens, share community
values and beliefs and interpret their experience in light of community
values and traditions. Therefore, it is the belief of this agency that
if the community believes that violence does in fact occur within it's
realm, and positive attitudes and a safe place for healing are offered,
then more assaults will be reported. What
is Violence?
Physical Violence
Any act or behavior that inflicts or is intended
to inflict bodily harm.
Emotional
Violence
Any systematic attempt to destroy a person's sense of self-worth.
Sexual Violence
Any sexual activity forced on a person without his or her consent,
whether by a stranger, date or spouse.
Violence does not
go away on its own. In fact, over time domestic violence usually escalates,
becoming more frequent and severe.
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