About Stronghold

 About | Our Mission | Our Vision | Services | Board | Advisory Board | SAYAB

 

About

Stronghold Cooperative Ministries, Inc. (Stronghold Atlanta) is a women's resource center serving the needs of women and children who have been victims of domestic violence or abuse in the Greater Atlanta area.    Founded by Morgan and Alisa Coffey in 2008, after the completion of Morgan's Girl Scout Gold Award Project, Stronghold now seeks to meet its mission.

Our Mission

Stronghold connects women and children who have been victims of domestic violence or abuse with:

HELP: Healing, Empowerment, Love and Protection™.

Healing comes with time, but begins by taking the first step.
Empowerment returns control to victims, who then become survivors.
Love does not hurt! It always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.
Protection is immediate and ongoing, a life line that leads to a life change.

All of the services we provide are at least one of those things.  For instance, we know that lack of financial literacy is one of the main reasons that women  return to abusers.  Learning about your finances is empowering.  Becoming financially independent can allow you to protect your assets and yourself.  It also increases our clients likelihood of making a lasting change, free of abuse.

Read more about our program: It All Adds Up: A Woman's Guide to Financial Self-Defense 

Every year, an average of 3000 people are turned away from domestic violence shelters for lack of space in Georgia alone.  While there is more need than resources, sometimes it is just a matter of helping people find the resources they need.  If there are open beds an hour away, the transportation we can provide could make all the difference.  We are working diligently to bridge the gap of existing need with new and existing resources.

Once basic needs are met, victims need to be able to focus on long term needs like: counseling and emotional support for themselves and their children, resisting the advances of their abuser, securing support, a job and transitional housing.   Meeting ongoing needs leads to changed lives and can break intergenerational patterns of abuse.

Our Vision - Break the Silence, End Domestic Violence^TM

We want to end domestic violence and abuse in homes.  Neither women, nor children should be beaten, bitten, stomped on, raped or otherwise abused.  Children should not have to watch parents be abused.  It "can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender".  Domestic Violence doesn't discriminate and neither do we.  Although our clients are mostly women and children, our help is available to all (Men are sometimes victims too and can be assisted primarily through referral services.)

Our goal is to address issues so well, that we are no longer needed.  Until that time comes, here is how we are working on the issues:

Services to Our Clients

   ҉    Crisis-line, Safety Planning, Shelter Placement, Advocacy

   ҉    Emergency Transportation,  Relocation Services

   ҉    Employment Assistance, Resources and Referrals 

   ҉    Financial Literacy and Budget Planning Assistance

   ҉    Change in a Bag - Clothing, Change in a Bag - Sundries, meeting other clothing/household needs

   ҉    Care packages, meal assistance, food pantry

   ҉    Group sessions, referrals, counseling and recovery resources

   ҉    Strategic plans for community response strategies

   ҉    Programming, publications, education and awareness

We are also raising funds to open a new safe house in the Greater Atlanta area. 

Board of Directors

Name	Position
Alisa Coffey	Executive Chairman, Stronghold Atlanta - ED
Diane Black	Secretary, Beyond Words, Inc.
Leyta Jordan	Treasurer
Morgan Coffey	Stronghold Atlanta - Director of Development & MarkComm
Bonnie Gordon	Community Volunteer
Kathy Simcoe, Esq.	Commander + Pound
Penny Gordon	Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Advisory Board

Advisory Board members work closely with our board on individual projects or have expertise or employment in areas that can assist Stronghold with its mission.  Please contact us if you are interested in serving on our Advisory Board.

Stronghold Atlanta Youth Advisory Board (SAYAB)

Made up of 20+ youth, ages 13-23, from 15 different middle schools, high schools and colleges in the Greater Atlanta Area it was established to effect change in the lives of women and children through advocacy. They are identifying the needs and special concerns of Women and Children who have been victims of abuse, coming up with solutions to the problems identified, developing partnerships and support to enact change and putting their plans into action. Applications for the board are accepted April 1 through July 1 and new board members are accepted in August.  For more information about SAYAB or to request an application, please contact morgan@strongholdatlanta.org.

New Additions: 2009-2010

Aidan Hickey, Madison Knowles, Steven Sims, Irene Zielinski, Calla Porter, Mark Taylor

Starting Board: 2008-2009

Raina Neal, Chris Justice, Micayla Behr, Elizabeth Grogan, Laini Lee, Dylan Dietz, Perry McWilliams, Hayley Hughes, Marie Gushee, Hope Wooster, Madison Coffey, Sarah Sundell, Paul Orehosky, Haynes Chewning, Amanda Baethke, Parker Marting, Esha Sing, Olga Zaslavsky, Seth Throckmorton, Amanda Coker, Chris Welch, and Rachel Anderson

Find out more about SAYAB.