The DASAS History
The Domestic Assault Shelter Coalition (DASC) (it won't become DASAS until 2007) was founded in August of 1984 as a grassroots effort by a group of concerned citizens which included the Three Rivers Chapter of NOW, human service providers, and law enforcement representatives. The purpose was to respond to the needs of domestic violence survivors and their children.
In 1985, the totally volunteer organization staffed a crisis hotline. In May, 1986, the donated use of a large house owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Three Rivers and Centreville made it possible for DASC to open an emergency shelter for domestic violence survivors and their children. To this day the church continues to "rent" the Shelter building to DASC for a nominal annual rent of $1.
In 1989, DASC expanded its non-residential services, to include offering support groups and providing crisis intervention in outlying communities in St. Joseph and Cass Counties. DASC made major renovations on the Shelter facility, including making the first floor handicapper-accessible.
In 1993, DASC initiated a Task Force on Family Violence in Cass County. In 1995 this task force began the Volunteer Outreach Project (VOCA funding) to recruit and train volunteers to provide immediate outreach to survivors whose assailants were arrested.
In 1995, DASC hired advocates to assist survivors with obtaining Personal Protection Orders in both counties' Courthouses.
DASC brought together a coalition of criminal justice, health care, human service, and school representatives in St. Joseph County in 1995 to improve systems' response to domestic violence survivors. Within a year, DASC started a volunteer outreach project in St. Joseph County.
DASC finally realized a long-term goal of prevention education in 1995 when we developed a dating and sexual assault prevention program to middle and high school students (Healthy Relationships).
In 1996 DASC agreed to add Van Buren County to our service area (through our MDVPTB contract) and subcontracted with the newly-formed Domestic Violence Coalition, Inc. to provide non-residential domestic violence services in Van Buren County Van Buren County survivors continued to use the DASC shelter for residential services.
In 2000 DASC started a transitional supportive housing program. The goal of our TSH program (New Beginnings) is to assist survivors with housing and other long-term issues by making full use of DASC and community resources. In 2002, DASC started our sexual assault program in St. Joseph, Cass, and Van Buren Counties.
We have devoted a great deal of time in the first half of 2003 to publicizing the availability of sexual assault services. In 2007 we changed our name to accent the addition of sexual assault services to the program. The new name is Domestic And Sexual Abuse Services.
2010 marks DASAS' 25th anniversary of providing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The year will be focusing on community outreach projects and building a bigger presence in the community. Each month, the agency will focus on a specific form of domestic violence or sexual assault and participate in community events or projects emphasizing those focus areas.
