Our Mission Statement

The agency's mission is to provide support, security, and awareness for victims of domestic and sexual violence through their journey to achieve a stable future.

Our Goals

Strive to improve the physical and emotional welfare of individuals and their children in Northeast Missouri.
Is a social change organization that focuses on domestic and sexual violence.
Provides crisis intervention and support to the needs of individual survivors and significant others.
Strives to eliminate domestic and sexual violence by addressing the roots of violence which include issues of inequality and oppression between genders, races, and socioeconomic groups.

More about AVENUES

AVENUES opened its doors in December of 1989 as a safe emergency shelter for abused women and their children since that time we have expanded our services to include all genders. As AVENUES' awareness of the complexity of domestic and sexual violence issues has grown, the agency has responded by developing additional services. Both residential and non-residential services have expanded to include both domestic and sexual violence survivor services in all areas.

A sexual assault advocacy program was added as a separate program in 1996. The program struggled and was finally disbanded in the summer of 1998. By January 1999, an Executive Director and an advocate were hired and brought considerable experience in sexual assault advocacy. The structure of the agency was adjusted to be inclusive of sexual violence at all levels.

Currently, sexual assault advocacy is not a separate program but is an integral part of the type of advocacy provided by AVENUES. ALL AVENUES staff and volunteers are trained to provide both domestic and sexual violence advocacy and crisis intervention services. Sexual assault services are provided for anyone who has been a victim or who is providing support to a victim, although the vast majority are women and children.

Beginning in January 1999, all staff and volunteers were re-trained and completed 55 hours of training in domestic and sexual violence advocacy.

In October 1999, AVENUES secured VOCA funding that developed a rural advocacy program designed to provide non-residential advocacy (domestic and sexual violence) services in the counties in which women live. The development of this position increased communication between AVENUES and various agencies, particularly the criminal justice system and emergency medical services.

AVENUES provides non-residential services for victims of any age and non-offending support persons for victims.

Between 2000 and 2002, AVENUES established a series of satellite offices with a mission of providing localized services to victims who were otherwise geographically or socially isolated from receiving services from the main office and shelter of the agency in Marion county. One satellite office was established in Shelbina, Missouri to provide direct services to Shelby and Monroe counties while splitting coverage to Knox county with the second office established in LaGrange, Missouri. The LaGrange office also has a service area of Lewis and Clark counties. In 2020, AVENUES established a third office in Adair county to provide direct services to Adair, Schuyler, and Scotland counties. AVENUES' main office in Hannibal also houses the Outreach Office servicing non-residential to Marion, Pike, and Ralls counties. Both Sexual Assault Advocates reside in the Outreach Office in Hannibal at this time.

AVENUES' main office was set up in Hannibal for the purpose of being a central office location for the region's services and agency administrative functions.

Current AVENUES services include a secure and safe emergency shelter for women and their children; 24-hour hotline; court advocacy that assists victims with obtaining ex-parte orders of protection, provides support and accompaniment for full order (OP) hearings and other civil court hearings; individual criminal justice advocacy (for reporting and prosecution of criminal cases); emergency medical advocacy; domestic violence peer support groups; support groups for adult survivors of child sexual abuse; community education; peer counseling; crisis intervention; professional training for medical, criminal justice, mental health, and social services; client transportation to other agencies; institutional advocacy; and a large networking system to complement the services provided by AVENUES. The Rural Advocacy Project provides all listed services apart from a shelter. Women seeking shelter are referred to the Hannibal location, and transportation is provided as needed.

AVENUES is a member of the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV).

Statement of Philosophy:

AVENUES believes that:

to eliminate gender-based violence, such as domestic and sexual violence, it is necessary to address the roots of violence.
violence is a tool of oppression that is based on inequality of gender, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.
violence is based on the power and control of one person or group of persons over another person or group of persons.
domestic violence, sexual assault/abuse, and harassment are the manifestation of gender-based oppression and are perpetrated through inequality of power.
victims are never responsible for the violence perpetrated against them.
everyone has a right to live without fear and violence.
social attitudes and understanding of domestic and sexual violence and other types of gender-based violence can and will change.
the generational cycle of violence can be broken.
perpetrators of violence must take responsibility for their violence.

Statement of Basic Policy:

The most basic services include emergency shelter for battered and abused adults and their children; a 24-hour crisis hotline; advocating on behalf of the victim in the following systems: criminal justice, civil justice, emergency medical, social services, and other systems the victims encounter in the wake of violence; crisis intervention; support groups; problem-solving.

All services to victims provided by AVENUES will be free, confidential, and non-judgmental.

All services to victims shall be implemented so that the safety needs and desires of the victim are always the top priority.

Our Name and Logo:

AVENUES stands for Abuse Victims Education Network Unified to Ensure Safety. The triangle within the logo represents the journey our clients are on; the initial trials when dealing with violence on the ascending left side, the support AVENUES provides on the descending right side, and the bottom line represents stability which is our goal for the clients we serve. It is drawn with three colors representing the three main types of abuse: domestic violence (purple), sexual assault (teal), and emotional (white).

Articles of Incorporation

A copy of our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws is available upon request. We are incorporated as a not-for-profit and are in good standing with the state of Missouri.

CLIENT SERVICE PHILOSOPHY

The Role of Ethics and Values in Our Work

Our primary value is human dignity and life. Dignity is the sacred respect for others and self. Ethics are the actions we implement in our work to help assure the dignity of our clients, co-workers, community representatives, and volunteers. Our specific values and ethics focus on violence against women and how oppression is played out and implemented through well-defined and systemic use of power and control.

There are many ways of stripping someone of dignity. They range from simply not listening to what one has to say, to destroy a person psychologically, spiritually, and physically.

We attempt dignity in our daily work by:

Adhering to a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning in service to our clients and the community.
Being truthful and respectful to clients, co-workers, and ourselves core values and beliefs.
Being vigilant of power and control and knowing that it comes packaged in many acceptable ways.
Never tolerate unethical behavior in others and ourselves.
Start where our client is.
Stand for social, economic, and political justice. In the face of injustice, we become proactive agents of change. We do not remain neutral.
Promote values such as honesty and honor diversity.
Have an obligation to recognize oppression and focus on it.
Use our personality as a therapeutic tool. Therefore, we recognize the constant need for introspection, accountability, peer support, self-scrutiny, supervision, and continuing education.
Respect confidentiality, privacy, and informed consent.
Follow the code of ethics of our respective professions.
Not accept nor make payments or other considerations in exchange for referrals.
Make referrals only in the clients' best interest, not to promote any employees', board members’, or volunteers' financial gain.

No person is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender, age, and/or any other status protected by applicable law.

There is no segregation of persons served based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender, age, and/or any other status protected by applicable law.

Diversity Statement

AVENUES does not discriminate and does not permit discrimination including - without limitation - bullying, abuse, or harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression; or based on association with another person on account of that person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.