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24-Hour Hotlines (618) 235-0892 or (800) 924-0096	Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois P.O. Box 831 Belleville, IL 62222 Phone: (618) 236-2531 Fax: (618) 235-9521	Shelter Shop 19 Bellevue Park Plaza Belleville, IL 62226 Phone: (618) 234-4704

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History

The initial program called BRIDGE was founded in 1979, and consisted of a five-room shelter and one part-time staff member. The current shelter is located in the former Belleville Shoe Manufacturing Company building, generously donated by the Weidmann family in 1986. In December 1987, the Center became incorporated as the Women’s Crisis Center of Metro East; the name was changed in June 2000 to the Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois.

In the more than 30 years since its inception, the VPC has expanded to meet the needs of the three counties it serves:

In 1986

· Staff members were able to assist victims of domestic violence in obtaining orders of protection due to the passing of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act.

· The East St. Louis outreach office opened

· The Shelter Shop opened its doors for business. The Shelter Shop is a resale store that sells donated clothing, household items and furniture in order to aid in the financial support of the Center. The store’s merchandise is available, free of charge, to all clients who demonstrate a need for clothing and household items.

In 1994

· the Prevention Program was formalized, allowing the Center to provide training for clergy, police, health care professionals, schools and other concerned citizen groups. Our contacts through this program are projected to be 30,000 in 2000.

In April 1996

· the Chester outreach office opened to serve Randolph County.

In September 1997

· the Waterloo office opened to serve Monroe County.

In 1997 and 1998

· Staff were invited to take a more active role in the newly formed Domestic Violence Court in St. Clair County. The Court Advocates became an integral part of this program.

In 1999

· Police advocates were placed in eight local police stations and made 3,650 contacts. Court advocates are now permanently placed in Domestic Violence Court.

In 2000

· The VPC was one of four domestic violence programs in Illinois picked to collaborate with the local Substance Abuse program. The VPC staff providing domestic violence education and counseling to substance abusers having underlining experiences with domestic violence.

· Passages to Peace, which is a joint effort with Gateway Foundation, working with domestic violence and substance abuse.

· The Peace Place, a non-residential counseling program designed for children ages 5-17, was implemented. The children’s mother must also be in counseling at the VPC for healing to begin together.

· The VPC was one of four programs chosen in the nation to implement a medical advocacy program through assistance with the Department of Human Services.

In 2004

· Project Renee is a Domestic Violence Multi disciplinary Approach. This partnership includes St. Clair County States Attorney’s Office, St. Clair County Probation Office, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and the Violence Prevention Center. Project Renee staff are located in a designated building in downtown Belleville.