1. What is your mission (goals &
objectives) at Erica’s House?
The mission of Erica’s House is to provide
a safe and fair venue; a center of hope, support, prevention and family
visitation services necessary to create positive change in the lives of all
families affected by violence and contribute to the advancement and awareness
of these issues in our island community.
2. What specific services does
Erica’s House provide?
Erica’s House is a support service for parents and children in need of
visitation and exchange services:
1. A safe place to pick-up and drop-off children for exchange between
parents/guardians;
2. On-site partially-supervised visitation for families with periodic
checks made by staff;
3. On-site supervised visitation for families with a visitation monitor
present at all times;
4. Parenting Classes offered once a week for six weeks; and
5. Informational Reports generated upon request.
There are no fees for the services provided.Erica’s House services can
be used by obtaining a Court Order or through Erica’s House Voluntary Referral
Program (VRP). Under the VRP, the
custodial and non-custodial parents must agree to use Erica’s House, must agree
to the type of service, agree to a schedule and agree to who will participate.
3. Who is your target audience?
Parents or Guardians who feel they
are in need of Erica’s House services for various reasons. Although Erica’s House serves victims of
abuse, not all families of Erica’s House have experienced abuse; for example,
some cases are referred by Child Support.
4. What are your hours of operation
and what is the best way for people to reach you that are interested in
assistance?
Hours of operation for Erica’s House is as follows:
Thursdays and Fridays from 12 Noon – 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sundays from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Holiday Hours on Easter, Thanksgiving and
Christmas from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Erica’s House is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Erica’s House staff can be reached at 642-4020/22; fax number is
642-4021; or via email at ericahse@teleguam.net.
5. In addition to direct services,
what resources does Erica’s House offer?
In addition to the services
mentioned, Erica’s House staff also refers clients to other Agencies for
services they may need.
These include:Victim Advocates
Reaching Out (VARO), Alee Shelter, Child Protective Services, Inafa Maolek and to
the Child Support Office.
As mandated reporters, Erica’s House
staff makes referrals to Child Protective Services for suspected child abuse or
neglect.
6. Can you discuss your
community partnerships and how they contribute to the overall success of
Erica’s House individually?
Erica’s House works with different non-profit organizations and government
and private agencies. Networking with
these agencies contributes to Erica’s House’s success by helping staff serve
clients more effectively.
7. Can you touch on the history of
Erica’s House and how the organization is set up?
Erica’s House is named after Erica
Mesericordia Crisostomo Aquino, a seven-year-old girl who at the hands of her
father, was killed along with her mother, Therese Crisostomo. Therese at the
time was a social worker with Adult Protective Services. It took three years of planning before
Erica’s House opened and with the Crisostomo family’s support and a contract
with the Judiciary, Erica’s House opened on November 15, 2000.
Erica’s House is a joint project of the
Soroptomist International of the Marianas and the Soroptomist International of
Guam.
8. Why do you think the work you do
is important to our island community and the world at large?
Erica’s House is Guam’s only family visitation center when exchanges or on-site visitations are conducted
at the facility, these prevent any conflicts or violence between parents. These
supervised visitations give parents and children a sense of safety at all times
the facility is open as there is always staff, a security guard and a Deputy
Marshal present.
9. Lastly, could you please provide
any current relevant statistics that you have.
In the month of December 2013, Erica’s
House served 570 adults, among these adults Erica’s House served 520 children,
conducted 204 exchanges, and held 19 partially supervised visitations and 18
direct supervised visitations.
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