Established in 1989, O.U.R. House of Central Vermont is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. As of June 2016, they attained Accreditation Status through the National Children’s Alliance. To receive accreditation as a Children’s Advocacy Center, applicants must meet each of the 10 Standards for Accreditation set forth by the National Children’s Alliance. These Standards ensure that child abuse victims throughout the country receive effective, efficient and compassionate services.
The letters “OUR” in OUR House form an acronym for “One Unified Response” which is the reason OUR House was established. Even back in 1989 they knew it was important to make it as easy and seamless as possible for Washington County’s children and their non-offending family members to go through the process of not only reporting abuse but the resulting investigation as well.
Since its inception, OUR House has come a long way. Led by Executive Director Rebecca Duranleau who has just over a year under her belt, the program has improved by leaps and bounds. Rebecca said she was “thrilled with the community coming together” for the program and she was also pleased with the high praise received for the work of their MDT throughout the entire accreditation process. Through grant funding and a gracious community, they are able to have dedicated police officers who are trained specifically for physical and sexual abuse cases in children and adults which lead to the best possible case outcomes. She also stated, “We have great allies with our local DCF and States Attorney’s office as well as local advocacy groups”. She went on to say that OUR House offers on-site forensic interviewing, case management and advocacy as well as supportive family time to clients of both DCF and Easter Seals to help with family reunification.
Though Rebecca has only been on board since May of 2015, and a new-comer to the CAC world to boot, she has taken the initiative to ensure that the children and families affected by abuse in Washington County have an amazing space to go to in their time of need.
OUR House will again be hosting the Sexual Violence Summit held at the beautiful Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee Vermont. This will be the seventh year that OUR House has presented this informative and educational conference. This year the Summit will take place on Wednesday, September 14th from 9 AM until 4 PM. The ticket price of $85 includes breakfast and lunch. For more information on group rates and the amazing lineup, click here
Assisting Rebecca as part-time Case Manager, OUR House has been fortunate to have Kerrie Greig who will be celebrating 20 years with the program come 2017. Congratulations Kerrie!
And congrats to OUR House, Washington County and Rebecca! Looks like Rebecca is doing an awesome job leading an awesome program!