Tessa

“The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors meets monthly and reviews all Financial Documents, Including the Annual Audit Report. THE CEO OF THE ORGANIZATION DISTRIBUTES A PDF COPY OF THE 990 RETURN TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT PRIOR TO BEING FILED.”

“At each board meeting, if there is a discussion of selecting or engaging a vendor or service provider, all in attendance are asked to recuse themselves from this discussion if there could be a perceived conflict. Annually, the organization reviews and discusses the conflict of interest policy and requests that each board member list and acknowledge any known conflicts. Potential new board members receive all policies before joining the board.”

“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. The board of directors reviews the compensation for the executive director. The board votes on any changes to salary and implements them accordingly. The organization has no other paid officers or employees meeting the irs definition of a key employee.”

“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 assessment $250 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.”

“Continued: as part of tessa's housing first program, tessa provides temporary housing and/or utility assistance. Clients are required to complete a detailed application that requires them to describe their financial situation (employment, income sources, expenditures, apartment size, etc.) in depth. All assistance is paid directly to landlords or utility companies. Additionally, tessa uses a sliding scale to decrease assistance over time to help foster the client's financial independence.”

“Rural advocacy program: 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 time between the two. Confidential advocacy, education, outreach, and counseling are provided, while clients who require shelter are referred to tessa's safehouse program in colorado springs. Counseling program: program staff provides clinical services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking. 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. Housing first program: tessa assists dvsa and ht crime victims in meeting their long-term housing needs by providing rental assistance, moving assistance, emergency housing, and/or utility assistance. Mobile advocacy: tessa advocates will meet survivors where they are in the community, home, or wherever is most convenient and safe for the survivor. The survivors have a say in how and where the contacts will take place (e.g. Home visits, coffee shop, etc) and advocates along with survivors can safety plan to determine where meetings will occur. Accompany survivors to meetings and appointments such as assisting in the housing application process, if needed). Legal services program: tessa will assist dvsa victims in accessing direct civil legal representation. Tessa has continued to connect with colorado legal services, the el paso county bar association, the el paso county women's bar association, and the pikes peak justice and pro bono center to build contacts and recruit attorneys. Educational outreach: 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.”

“The Executive Committee assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit, review, and compilation of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant. PROCESS HAS NOT CHANGED FROM PRIOR YEARS.”