Some of the strongest women never let the world see the capacity of their resiliency. Instead, they keep it hidden behind a tough exterior hoping they might be able to find the help they need to escape violence and build a new life.
According to Inga James, President and Executive Director of Heartly House, “This issue crosses all income levels, all socioeconomic statuses.”
Located in downtown Frederick, Heartly House is a non-profit agency whose mission is to provide free, comprehensive services (i.e. shelter, counseling, advocacy and other resources) to survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and child abuse.
“We provide services for anyone who needs it,” said Katherine Robinett, Director of Clinical Services and Head of Counseling Services at Heartly House. “If someone is in need, we are here to help, advocate and offer unconditional support.”
“We provide hope to someone when they might not have anyone else to turn to,” added Amy Benton, Director of Development.
Founded in 1979, Heartly House not only offers an emergency shelter for people who are fleeing an unsafe situation, but also crisis services, individual and group counseling and a 24-hour hotline.
Using an “empowerment model” of counseling and advocacy, staff meet with clients “wherever they are—whether they are at the beginning or in the midst of the process, or if they are dealing with the aftermath years later,” Katherine explained.
“We have more than a dozen therapy groups as well as short-term counseling services, which are available in-person or online. Our counselors are well-versed in treating the impact of trauma,” Katherine said. “We want to help clients regain a sense of themselves.”
“We meet with clients and help them with coping skills, stabilization and safety,” said Inga. “We offer a continuum of care. That makes us different from everyone else.”
Survivors can also utilize medical accompaniment services and legal representation at no cost.
“We are a safe person who can sit with someone in the hospital if needed. We are here to listen to their story, help them make a plan, heal from their pain and support them,” Amy said, adding that donors from Frederick County make all of this possible. “Our funders believe in our mission. They understand the importance. We couldn't do it without them.”
In addition to providing services for survivors, Heartly House offers community awareness programs and prevention education. “We want to educate our community to help prevent and stop the violence,” said Jenn Metcalf, Director of Community Engagement and Prevention. Heartly House has officially partnered with Frederick County Public Schools. Using grant money from the state of Maryland, they will begin violence prevention work in middle and high schools, eventually trickling down to the elementary level. Integrated into the health curriculum, the partnership will focus on teaching youth about topics such as healthy relationships, consent, cyberstalking and bullying. The funds may place more child case managers and counselors into the schools as well.
Heartly House staff have always worked to make sure these free services and resources are available every day of the year—even when the rest of the world was shutting down.
“During the Covid pandemic our numbers skyrocketed,” Inga explained. “Despite all the challenges, we were able to stay flexible and identified what resources we needed which allowed us to continue without any lapse in services. Our community was also so generous during Covid, so we could keep everything running.”
Since the pandemic, the need for Heartly House services has not declined. There was a 78% increase in the total number of clients served between 2019 and 2023, according to Heartly House data.
“Our numbers are not going back down, which has caused us to run out of space in our current building,” Inga said. “In order for us to meet these needs, we have to grow. The next step is to build.”
As a result, land was purchased in 2019, and plans were drawn up to construct the Heartly House Community Resource Building, a new building where administrative offices and community engagement programs will be housed. This will free up room in the current site and allow the shelter and counseling services to remain at the present location. Architect Bruce Zavos drew up plans for the new structure, which they hope will be funded through state and federal grants so that Frederick community donations will continue to be used for client needs and community outreach. “Our priorities are our clients and the community programming. This building will help us better meet those needs,” Inga explained.
As staff continue to show up with the needs of the survivors at the forefront of their minds, they took a minute to reflect on why their work is so vital.
“Seeing the impact we can have even on the hard days is so rewarding. It is an honor to be a part of this and to be trusted by our clients,” Katherine said.
“I love the Frederick community so much,” Jenn agreed. “It is incredible that we are able to help parents and kids have safer lives.”
“It is amazing the work that is being done that many will never see,” said Amy. “Our staff is able to save and change people’s lives.”
“We all can do our part to prevent violence,” Inga said. “It takes the whole community. It is important that we all believe that we can make a difference.”
HeartlyHouse.org
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“It takes the whole community. It is important that we all believe that we can make a difference.” ~ Inga James