Mission & Values

Stepping Stones Agencies is dedicated to ending intimate violence in all forms and promoting individual self-sufficiency, personal growth, self-worth and resiliency in the adults and children that we are committed to serve.

We respectfully encourage them to begin exploring the following areas of their lives:

• Honest self-inventory
• Assess self-needs
• Educate for change and empowerment
• Establish healthy, supportive fellowships
• Encourage continuing programs of healing, safety and personal growth beyond their experience in our program.

The programs of Stepping Stones Agencies are what make us who we are, as well as define our philosophy and beliefs of service. Adults and children who are not in our safe shelter can still receive services through our programs.

In order to execute this mission, our advocates are highly trained and skilled at upholding victims’ rights and validating traumatic, exploited, and victimizing circumstances. We also encourage the individuals we serve to look at areas where they are able to take personal responsibility in order to heal, move forward, and create meaningful, healthy change in their lives and the lives of their children.

We are first and foremost committed to our own personal growth and development.

Our decisions are collective and are based on the welfare of the women, men, and children we serve, putting their needs first.

We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing living environment, unconditional support and truthful information.

Stepping Stones Agencies does not tolerate intimate abuse in any form. We believe that the function of the family system is indicative of the health of our communities, and to that end, we are committed to responding to adults and children who need a therapeutic and advocacy response due to family violence, sexual assault, homelessness, neglect, exploitation, or other forms of victimization.

Truly impacting and breaking the cycle of abuse and victimization in any form requires that we focus on protecting our youth from ALL types of abuse/neglect that may be directly or indirectly confronting them. We strongly support a Bill of Rights for children, which provides for their safety and security as primary.

We view children in a family where there is abuse or neglect in any form, as PRIMARY victims, even though the children may not be directly physically or sexually assaulted. The welfare of child victims takes precedence over all other responses.

Because we do not compromise our commitment to children as PRIMARY victims, adult victims and offenders are held accountable in areas that affect the welfare of children involved.

We strive to empower adult and child victims by providing unconditional, non-judgmental, supportive, and therapeutic responses. These responses will be rigorously truthful, however difficult, so that adult victims can have all information necessary to make healthy choices and truly make significant changes in their lives and the lives of their children.

We acknowledge that cultural differences exist and can result in vastly different expectations regarding the nature of quality care and the elements of safety, well-being and self-sufficiency. We make every effort to be aware of cultural diversity and to provide services that recognize, respect, and incorporate that into all our programs and services.

Services are provided in a culturally relevant manner whenever possible. Our materials are developed in both English and Spanish. We have bi-lingual staff available as often as possible. We utilize community linkages when necessary to assist in this commitment to serve. All staff is trained in cultural sensitivity issues as they relate to those we serve.

We coordinate community services in order to fully utilize a true multi-disciplinary approach in addressing the very diverse yet specific needs of adult and child victims in our programs.

If a physical, mental, or emotional impairment is identified in an adult or child victim in our program, linkages to necessary services addressing the duality of issues is developed in order to assure all needs of adult or child victims are being met. We firmly believe this is necessary in order to insure a complete plan of service is developed and optimizes intervention efforts, prevention of further victimization, and truly begin their journey of personal growth and development.

Because of the dynamics of intimate violence in all forms, we acknowledge that adult victims have extensive rights to protection under the law and these rights are vigilantly upheld. At the same time, we encourage and expect victims to take appropriate responsibility to protect themselves and their children from further abuse. We examine with them ways that they are able to do this, and we expect them to take action wherever capable.

We believe that true empowerment comes from knowing the difference between what you have control over and what you don’t; letting go of those things you truly don’t have control over and focusing your energy and attention to the things that you are capable of impacting. This philosophy is an integral part of service planning and advocacy with the adults and children we serve.