who we are
A Distinct Identity
Our Sisters' House was founded in 1995 to fill a gap in services for girls of color who were adjudicated in the juvenile system. Today the organization continues to fill in a gap in services for Black and African American women and children who have been impacted and victimized by domestic violence. OSH has 5 programs that address juvenile family violence, children who have witnessed violence, a support group for African American women who are survivors of domestic violence, and advocacy programs that assist women fleeing their abusers. In Pierce County, there are several mainstream domestic violence agencies but only OSH is able to provide culturally specific advocacy and services to African American women and their families. Our programs New Directions and Stepping Stones are the only programs in Pierce County that address juvenile family violence and children exposed to violence using a holistic approach that involves the entire family with a parenting support group component.
GET IN TOUCHPUBLIC NOTICE
Our Sisters' House will be working remotely in the face of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. We are still operating during normal business hours, assisting clients via phone/email/video conferencing until further notice.
Monday through Friday
9:00 AM
4:00 PM
Mission & Goal Statement
Our Mission
Our mission is to lead, empower, and inspire change by eliminating domestic violence through intervention and prevention services. We aim to enhance the lives of Black and African American survivors of domestic violence by providing services that meet the cultural needs of those we serve. OSH seeks to accomplish ending the cycle of violence through youth programming, education, outreach advocacy strategies, and collaboration with key community partners.
Our Goals
Our Sisters' House aims to strengthen families, empower women to become self-sufficient, and help children affected by domestic violence heal, with the hopes of breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
Outreach
Reinforcing our Commitment
We take outreach seriously at Our Sisters' House. We understand that our business is centered around our fellow community members. Our mission starts within the Pierce County area and we are determined to reach everyone we can. Our Sisters' House conducts outreach in a variety of ways, both informal and formal. If you or your organization is looking to get more involved or would like to receive an update on our services or what we're doing, then please call or send us a message and we can give your team more information about our services or talk about possible volunteer opportunities!
Support Groups
One Step at a Time
Our Sisters' House is here to educate, advocate, and support victims and survivors of domestic violence and crime victims. This is why we offer various support groups for families, teens, and individuals. If you've experienced domestic violence personally or even indirectly, then chances are that we have a support group fit for you. We have three different support groups whose curriculum is based on empowerment and education. Please give us a call or send a message if you're interested in our FREE support groups that we offer year-round!
Advocacy
Helping The Community
At Our Sisters' House, we are dedicated to stepping up our efforts to address domestic violence. You will see OSH advocates at the Tacoma Municipal Court providing court advocacy for anyone in need. We also attend many community gatherings/meetings that are similar to our line of work. Our advocates provide connections to our clients based on their needs. In order to make meaningful connections between services and clients, we meet with our community partners and see what there is to offer. We're here to make things easier for you!
Your journey starts here
Support Groups
Sisters Seeking Change is a culturally specific support group that caters to African American individuals. Nonetheless, we welcome ANYONE that is a survivor of domestic violence.
Over the course of the 8 weeks, topics relevant to domestic violence such as safety planning, establishing healthy relationships, rebuilding self-esteem, setting boundaries, and overcoming cultural barriers that African Americans face when dealing with domestic violence will be discussed. This program also provides childcare free of charge.
Stepping Stones uses a psycho-educational family intervention model to address the potential risks and impacts of domestic violence on the family. The intended outcomes of the program are to increase parenting skills, address coping strategies for parents & children, safety planning skills, and decreasing the effects of post-violence stress.
Eight weekly sessions will be held with the non-offending parent and their children. Stepping Stones is for families with children ages 6-11 years old who have been exposed to domestic violence.
New Directions is an interactive family violence prevention program that provides support for youth and their families who have experienced teen-initiated domestic violence. The program follows a specifically designed curriculum that focuses on the issues of anger management, conflict resolution, effective communication, and family management.
Eight weekly sessions will be held for teens 12-18 years old and their parents. The program will assist participants in strengthening the family dynamic, decreasing incidents of teen initiated violence, and minimizing involvement in the juvenile system.Overcoming abuse doesn’t just happen, It takes positive steps every day. Let today be the day you start to move forward.
“At any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.”
“Never let someone who contributes so little to a relationship control so much of it.”