About Us

Mission and Philosophy

Mission Statement

To lead a community-wide partnership in the awareness and prevention of domestic violence and abuse and to offer safety and support to diverse families and individuals in crisis.

Vision

Creating a community committed to peace & equality through positive, innovative and holistic programming.

Values

Harbor House is committed to addressing domestic abuse issues through community leadership, volunteerism, and our Board of Directors.

Our Women, Children, and Youth

Harbor House values the stories of our women, children, and youth, and we appreciate their diversity and uniqueness.
Harbor House is committed to confidentiality and objectivity.

Our Commitment to Education and Prevention

Harbor House is committed to educate the community on the issue of domestic violence.

Our Employees

Harbor House honors the personal growth, honest self awareness, and inclusiveness of our employees
by providing a work environment that fosters creative and professional organizational growth
while honoring the integrity of teams and all individuals.

Confidentiality Policy

The primary purpose of the Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs is to provide protection and safety to victims and the children of victims. The use or disclosure of any information by anyone affiliated with Harbor House (staff, volunteers, board members) that concerns the victims or the children of victims who receive services from Harbor House for any purpose is prohibited by state law. It is, therefore, a policy of the Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs that any agent of Harbor House (staff, volunteers, board members) will treat all contact and information regarding victims and children of victims who receive services from Harbor House as confidential. No information regarding service recipients will be divulged either directly or indirectly.

• Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs may not contact the perpetrator nor may we require that the victim contact the perpetrator.

• Harbor House may not reveal the victim's or the victim's children's whereabouts, or require the victim to reveal such whereabouts.

• Files and all written documents regarding victims and the children of victims are to be maintained in a confidential manner.

Victims will be informed of their rights to confidentiality during the intake process. Staff, volunteers, and board members are still bound by this condition of confidentiality upon completion of employment, volunteer commitment, or board term.

History of Harbor House

For 24 years, Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs has been open to families experiencing domestic violence. In June of 1984, the Outagamie County Department of Social Services (now Health & Human Service) agreed to establish countywide programming for domestic abuse services. The main focus at that time was the establishment of a shelter and a Domestic Abuse Program Advisory/Planning Committee. The committee, representing the broad public interests in Outagamie County, took on the responsibilities of program development, implementation, and ongoing monitoring.

Throughout that summer and fall, the committee, along with Social Services personnel, worked to secure a shelter facility, hire staff, and increase public awareness and support. On December 10, 1984, the doors of Harbor House were opened to battered women and their children.

Within a few years it became evident that the original Harbor House, a two-bedroom facility located adjacent to the courthouse, did not adequately meet the needs of the many victims seeking services. After a long search for a more adequate existing building, it was decided to build a new Harbor House. Located in the town of Grand Chute, the new six-bedroom (capacity of 20) Harbor House opened its doors on April 10, 1989. Since 1989, all program areas have increased by more than 50%.

Throughout 1992 and 1993, the privatization of the program was studied in detail. It was concluded that this course of action was the best way to meet the growing community need of providing services to combat domestic abuse. The benefits of privatization include:

• Enabling the organization to expand to meet growing and changing needs

• Providing the program with the opportunity to seek broad community support to supplement support provided by Outagamie County

• Structuring the program to respond more quickly and effectively as an independent agency, advocating on behalf of victims of domestic abuse

As of 1995, the program began a two-year transition period to become a private non-profit agency by 1/1/97. For two years, staff, board, and Department of Health & Human Services personnel worked together to explore issues such as funding, public relations, legal issues, personnel concerns, and facility needs in detail. On January 1, 1997, we became Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs, Inc., a new private non-profit agency. In 1998, Harbor House opened an outreach program in Chilton to better serve the needs of Calumet County families. All agency services, with the exception of shelter, are also provided at the Chilton location. Given the increasing demands for shelter and services and after a decade in its present location, Harbor House concluded that its facility was too small to meet the growing needs of the families in our area.

In 1998, Harbor House began discussing its space needs with United Health (now ThedaCare), which was then developing new use plans for Peabody Manor, a skilled-care nursing facility located in Appleton. In early 1999, after consideration by both organizations, ThedaCare agreed to transfer the Peabody property to Harbor House once it vacated. In March of 2000, Harbor House kicked off a capital campaign to raise $2.9 million to redesign and renovate the facility to meet growing demands for shelter, to expand existing services, and to develop new programs in response to regional needs. On September 5, 2001, Harbor House moved to its current location at 720 W. Fifth St. in Appleton. Future plans include leasing a portion of the existing building not needed by Harbor House in order to gain a stream of revenue to help fund growing services. To generate comparable income would require $1-2 million endowment (which, regrettably, Harbor House does not have).

Location and Directions

Go to Mapquest to see a map of and get directions to Harbor House. 

NOTE: The map in Mapquest identifies our location as being on "5th St", but the actual street sign says "Fifth St". 

Newsletters

Read our latest Harbor Lights Newsletter.

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