Tessa

“The executive committee of the board of directors meets monthly and reviews all financial documents, including the annual audit and the form 990.”

“Potential new board members receive all policies before joining the board. The board is asked annually to reaffirm that they do not have interests that could give rise to conflicts of interest.”

“Tessa uses data from canpo (colorado association of non profit organizations) surveys for comparability of job responsibilities and compensation. Tessa strives to be in the 25th percentile of our peers (size & services) for annual salary rates for all positions.”

“Tessa's governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available to the public upon request. Certain documents are also available on the organization's website.”

“Pre-plea investigation reports. The district attorney will refer an individual who has been arrested in a domestic violence dispute and the district attorney has doubts whether the domestic violence was truly domestic violence or defense, particularly in cases where a woman has been arrested. The individual will pay for the case assesment $300 per case.”

“Continued: WE PURSUE THREE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES TOWARD OUR MISSION: TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE SAFETY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN CRISIS. TO EMPOWER SURVIVORS THROUGH SUPPORTIVE SERVICES SUCH AS OUR ADVOCACY, COUNSELING AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS. TO CREATE A SAFER COMMUNITY FOR ALL FAMILIES THROUGH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OUTREACH.”

“SAFEHOUSE CONTINUED: The Safehouse Program provides safe shelter vouchers to adult male victims and their children through collaborations with local hotels. In FY2015, TESSA provided 12,516 nights of shelter to 294 adults and 170 children. Staff and trained volunteers provide crisis intervention, information, safety planning, and community referral services to domestic violence and/or sexual assault victims. Approximately 500 calls come through the crisis line each month.”

“VICTIM ADVOCACY CONTINUED: Services are provided in a secure and safe environment. Advocacy allows victims to identify options; develop safety plans; receive assistance with temporary protection orders; and acquire information and referrals. Confidential Victim Advocates also provide 24/7 hospital response to victims seeking medical attention due to an incidence of abuse and/or sexual assault. In FY2015, TESSA provided advocacy services to 1,364, including hospital call outs to 343 victims. Rural Advocacy- To improve service access for victims located in isolated rural areas, TESSA operates satellite offices in Teller County and Eastern El Paso County. A full-time Advocate staffs each office while a Staff Therapist splits her time between the two. Confidential advocacy, education, outreach, and counseling are provided, while clients who require shelter are referred to TESSAs Safehouse in Colorado Springs. In FY2015, TESSA provided services in the rural communities to 110 victims. DHS Program- TESSA Advocates are co-located within the El Paso County Department of Human Services TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) Division, increasing the accessibility of services for those served by TANF who have also been affected by intimate partner violence and streamlining the inter-agency cooperative efforts that best serve this cross-population. In FY2015, the DHS Program provided services to 100 victims. The Children's Program offers therapeutic and non-therapeutic services for children who have witnessed and/or been victims of domestic violence. Available to both children residing in TESSA's safehouse (Residential) and children from the community-at-large (Community), services include: therapy; psycho-educational/age-appropriate support groups; case management; child-specific advocacy; and recreational opportunities. In FY2015, TESSA's childrens program provided services to 170 residential children and 69 children from the community.”

“COUNSELING PROGRAM: The Counseling Program staff provide clinical services to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. TESSA's counselors, specifically trained to treat the psychological issues that result from these types of violence, provide individual psychotherapy; psycho-educational support groups for adult victims of domestic violence; and therapeutic support groups for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. These services encourage participants to work on self-esteem, provide education about healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, and assist in goal setting and problem solving. In FY2015, TESSA provided group counseling services to 302 victims. TESSA provides training and education to schools, businesses, community associations, and faith-based organizations. In addition, TESSA staff work closely with many schools in our community to provide education and outreach to teachers, staff and students around interpersonal violence prevention and teen dating violence. In 2015, TESSA reached 3,639 individuals through direct education and countless others at local health fairs and community awareness events.”

“The executive committee assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit, review, and compilation of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant.”