button located in the upper right corner of your screen.In October 1975, a domestic violence survivor wanted to address the needs of abused women in Washington County, so she started a community based social group called Women Together.
In 1977, the group received a grant under the Comprehensive Education and Training Act (CETA) and was able to hire four staff members to provide services for domestic violence survivors. They worked out of a tiny office in Hillsboro and adopted the name BEWARE, Battering Ended with Advocacy, Research and Education. The group promoted advocacy and empowerment as a way to end domestic violence, focusing on creating and providing opportunities in employment and education.
In 1979, BEWARE was gifted a donation of a house and received a grant which allowed them to open Washington County’s first domestic violence shelter. To reflect the new focus and services being offered in 1980, the organization changed its name to SHELTER/A Resource for Battered Women. In 1982, a 24-hour crisis line was added as a service, and the organization’s name was changed to SHELTER/Domestic Violence Resource Center. In 1986, with the help of the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services grant a counseling and support group program called The Family Violence Intervention Program was established.
The 1990s brought an expansion of services and provided a bigger shelter. In October 2000, to honor Monika Voits who had been murdered by her husband in 1999, the shelter was named Monika’s House. The Community Advocacy Restraining Order Program was developed and began operating at the Washington County Courthouse in conjunction with Washington County Center for Victims’ Services. In 2001, the agency underwent its final name change to Domestic Violence Resource Center which encompasses all the services and programs that are now offered.
501(c)(3) Filings:
- DVRC 990 – 2014
- DVRC 990 – 2015
- DVRC 990 – 2016
- DVRC 990 – 2017
- DVRC 990 – 2018
- DVRC 990 – 2019
- DVRC 990 – 2020
- DVRC 990 – 2021
Annual Reports:
Note: We are looking for our founders and/or anyone who can provide more detail about our history. If you are or know of such people, we’d love to hear from you. Please email us at dvrc@dvrc-or.org.