History

It all started with a single phone, a utility closet and a handful of volunteers. In 1977, a local attorney began to see many cases in which women were being beaten by their spouses. A luncheon was organized which identified a group of volunteers who would meet weekly to coordinate domestic violence services within Contra Costa County. They started with a crisis line in a volunteer's home.

Their first project was to open a shelter, although there was no funding. One of the women who had been attending the meetings had a house in Martinez that she was willing to rent to the organization. Dean Lesher of the Contra Costa Times was approached for his help in getting the shelter furnished and soon donations began to arrive. The shelter opened with two clients and a volunteer staff person. It soon became apparent that trained staff was needed and that the need for more funding was growing.

At first the organization was titled C-A-L-L because of it's primary work as a crisis line, but soon became Battered Women's Alternatives as its services grew to include shelter and other services. Eventually, the name was changed to STAND! Against Domestic Violence to more correctly represent the agency's expanded service to all members of the family.

By 1989 it became apparent that the needs of the community demanded more shelter beds. STAND! responded by opening the Margaret Lesher Housing and Employment Center in 1990, a facility comprised of 13 apartments for women and children. In 1997, the Rollie Mullen Center opened, providing a 24-bed emergency shelter where abused women and their children can stay up to three months; and seven transitional housing apartments where women and children can stay for up to eighteen months.

In 2002 STAND! opened offices in Richmond and Antioch in order to better serve the various regions and communities of Contra Costa County.

In 2008, STAND! received a grant from First 5 to open a new Therapeutic Child Care to help the youngest victims of violence heal. Also in 2008, STAND! started its Vocational Services Program, helping clients through resume workshops, job searches, and building additonal skills to re-enter the work force and be able to provide for themselves and their families.

Today STAND! Against Domestic Violence is a major force for change in Contra Costa County, California. STAND! now boasts 50 staff members and more than 230 volunteers who operate all its various programs.