Susan B. Anthony Project

Since 1983, Susan B. Anthony Project has provided free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, ensuring each has a safe place to heal and grow. Big Y has supported this nonprofit organization through its Community Bag Program. 

Tell us about Susan B. Anthony Project.

Susan B. Anthony Project is a domestic and sexual violence crisis center serving the northwest corner of Connecticut. Our organization was started in 1983 by Jillian Hanna and Polly Doremus. The two women had seen friends and colleagues with bruises and began asking questions. They gathered a group, collected $25, and started the first volunteer-run crisis line.

This founding group saved lives by bringing women into their own homes to keep them safe until they could find appropriate housing. Sometimes, they even picked folks up from work, put wigs on them, hid them low in the back seat, and drove them to the train station.

It all started with $25 and a handful of people, and now, we have an almost $2 million budget and help thousands of people every year. I love to tell this story about the grassroots nature of our organization.

For people overwhelmed by the scope of community problems and questioning the difference one person can make, I tell them to look at what two women started. We are proud to carry on their legacy and continue to save lives in their name.

What services do you provide to the community?

Regarding our statewide efforts, we are part of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence. We also work with a variety of independent sister organizations. Susan B. Anthony Project is unique from most of these other agencies in that we are a dual agency, providing both domestic violence and sexual assault services.

Most of what we do at Susan B. Anthony Project is crisis services. We have a 24-hour hotline staffed by people around the clock. We also have a crisis shelter for people coming directly out of unsafe situations. If we don’t have space, we’ll call our sister organizations around the state to find a safe place.

We provide both one-on-one and group counseling. For both children and adults, we also have advocates who spend time in the courts on both the civil and legal sides, helping people fill out restraining orders and acting as the victim’s voice in the courtroom. Advocates also accompany victims of sexual assault to the hospital to explain what the process is going to look like if they decide to have the sexual examination kit. They also make sure victims are informed of their rights and any additional options or resources that might be helpful.

Another side of our services is our prevention outreach and education. Not only are we constantly intervening in the cycle of violence to provide resources and support, but we are also out in the community actively trying to break the cycle. Spreading information is so important because some people don’t even know they’re affected by this type of violence. When people know what they’re looking at, they can hopefully take steps to avoid or remove themselves from situations ahead of time.

Not only are we constantly intervening in the cycle of violence to provide resources and support, but we are also in out in the community actively trying to break the cycle.

We aim to educate both those who may be impacted as victims and those who may perpetrate. If we can get someone who may have been brought up in a household of violence to realize there is a cycle that comes from what they’ve experienced, they might be able to take steps to change their behaviors before they become offenders themselves.

It’s an overwhelming task, but awareness is key. Outreach and education are the best chance we have at breaking that cycle. It’s important that people know there are resources and places to go if they are impacted or have questions.

Outreach and education are the best chance we have at breaking that cycle.

What sets Susan B. Anthony Project apart from other nonprofits in your community?

Anyone can come. It doesn’t matter who they are or what their immigration status is. All of our services are 100% free of charge, and everything is completely confidential.

Since we are not a medical office, we do not have strict standards to follow and can reach many more people. In our local nonprofit community, Susan B. Anthony Project is often used as an example of how things should be done. Our fellow nonprofits come to us for advice on a range of topics. We are proud to be held in such a high esteem by our community and to be leaders in this way.

Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.

We had a client and her small child who had to leave her home in the middle of the night to escape her abusive husband. It is a very scary thing to leave in the cover of darkness like that.

Since we are available 24/7 on our hotline, all someone has to do is make that phone call, and we will be there to support them. Of course, a lot of fear and tears accompany the whole process, which is what happened with this particular mom and her son.

As with all our clients, we wanted this mom and her son to know they were safe and heard. They came into the shelter, and we got them settled into a private room with all the toiletries they might need and a phone. We gave them food, clothes, pajamas, a stuffed animal for her son to sleep with, and toothbrushes.

Over the next few days, we connected her with the Department of Social Services to secure other resources and ensure her child could safely get to and from school. Within three months, our advocates were able to get her situated in our transitional living program in her own apartment.

Now, she’s completely on her own with her child. The mother secured a job and is learning to be financially literate to take control of her family and provide for herself and her child. We have also helped with things along the way, like school supplies and Christmas gifts.

Though these details are specific to one mom, similar stories can be told for many of our clients.

What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?

We recently brought forth a very unique event to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence. At Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, men walk a full mile in red high heels, both fundraising and bringing cause awareness.

Though walking a mile in red high heels doesn’t help a man understand what it feels like to flee a violent home, it playfully breaks ground to engage in a conversation with men, who are often painted as perpetrators. We are able to open up the conversation to talk about who this violence impacts, both directly or indirectly, and who perpetuates it.

The visibility the event brings is unmatched. It raises awareness of the fact that we exist and sheds light on the depth of the problems we are dealing with.

What do you want people to know about Susan B. Anthony Project?

First, we want people to know this type of support exists. A lot of folks don’t know about Susan B. Anthony Project or our sister organizations around the state, country, and world. You can save lives by just talking about who we are.

You can save lives by just talking about who we are.

There are so many folks in our community who are victimized, but a lot of stereotypes lead people to believe that only certain people are affected by domestic and sexual violence. This type of violence lives in every community and affects everybody, no matter your gender, socioeconomic status, race, or religion.

How will you use the funds you’ve received from the Big Y Community Bag Program?

The best part about this type of funding is that we are able to use it where we need it. Each of our client’s needs are different, so there are a lot of things we can’t plan for. Having these funds available for client assistance allows us to confidently respond to their needs when they ask.

These funds have a range of uses. It could be used for anything from ballet shoes for a little girl in our shelter who is starting a class to Uber gift certificates for someone to get to doctor appointments or a job interview. The point is we never know what the next day will bring. These funds help us give clients what they need when they need it, so thank you for helping us do that.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

We’re really fortunate to be in the community we’re in. We just celebrated our 40th anniversary, and we’ve had donors who have been with us since the very beginning. This sense of community allows us to serve our clients more efficiently and successfully.

Though we started with only two people, we need a lot of help to provide the services we do. We are so grateful for everybody who takes a role to accomplish all of this. We are forever grateful for all the support.

Published September 6, 2024.