Before I begin, I will say that this agency will attempt to write a rebuttal. In my opinon those agenices and companies who write them do so because they are defensive, and in denial. If you did nothing wrong, you do not have a reason to have to explain yourself.
At first this agency appears to be a non profit designed to assist domestic and sexual assualt survivors. They do not offer assistance. There are no counseling services and there is usually a waiting list for their shelter. They do not offer emergency services. If someone is being beaten, it is expected that the police will transport the person to somewhere close to the shelter. When you call for emergency help you are disconnected. The person answering the phone does not phone back.
Once a woman arrives there is a stack of paperwork which takes 2 hours to complete. After someone has been beaten, is afraid and overwhelmed, this is an incredibly inappropriate time to do this. They just have to get those statistics! This is a 30 day motel for women. You are not given new sheets, bed linens, or towels. Nothing is sanitized. When a client is discahrged, they are not required to clean their personal space.
If you do not have children you are expected to share a room with up to 2 other people and stay on a bunk bed. Women who do not want to stay at Valley Mission lie and say they are domestic violence victims. One woman lied about this for over 3 months while popping pain killers. There is supposed to be a no locking your bedroom door policy. The same woman constantly took pain killers to get high every night, and locked her door. Staff members were told about this. They openly chose to ignore it.
There is no food provided. If someone doesn't have SNAP benefits they will starve. There are cans of tomatoes, pasta, jars of peanut butter from a local food bank. There is no consistency to when and how meals are served or prepared. There is no baby food or formula. Some women arrive late at night. They are then woken up early the next morning when they are exhausted and mentally drained. A case manager who works within the shelter is assigned to each client.
The case manager does not have a degree in social services. She grew up overseas and only knows of options in Augusta County. She is young, immature, disrespectul, and condescending. You are told immediately that you need to find a job. No childcare is offered. If you have children, you are told to place an ad on Facebook to find a babysitter. Most women cannot afford to pay a babysitter if they have not been paid yet. TANF will not pay for childcare until someone has been working for at least 2 weeks. What is a woman with 2-3 children supposed to do? Oh, wait! 95% of the women in there are single with no children. There are also always women high on drugs, and/or coming off of drugs. This is not an appropirate place for children to stay.
The shelter is in a rural location with few businesses in the area. Transportation is not provided, except on the bus. The bus stops running at 8PM weekdays and runs until 5PM on Saturdays. For women who are hiding from their abusers, they shouldn't be standing on the highway waiting for a bus. The shelter location is not a secret within the area where it is located. Local healthcare providers know where the shelter is. Since women walk in and out of the front door on a main thoroughfare, it is easy for someone to find out where you are staying.
The biggest problem with New Directions is that they do not listen to what the clients are saying and what they need. There is a one size fits all policy. They are expecting that every woman who is there has/or did have a drug problem. Every woman should be on welfare. and work a minimum wage job, and get low income housing. The problem is that there is a waiting list for low income housing, sometimes a year.
There are some women who are killing themselves everyday to find jobs, childcare, and housing. Other women just go out all day and party. Sure, there are donations but these are picked through by the staff. The staff working there take all of the new and expensive items. They admit to this because they claim they aren't paid well. What is left over are clothes that would not even be donated to Goodwill. There is dollar store shampoo and soap. While there are cameras all over the shelter property many women go and help themselves to donations, like appliances, or makeup.
Someone who wants to prepare for a job interview, cannot. There is no clothing, or assistance with job preparation skills. If someone wants to have a virtual interview they cannot because the shelter residents are so loud. In the middle of job interviews clients, and staff will come storming in. If someone is trying to hide the fact that they are in a shelter, they cannot. If a client purchases food like cake, ice cream or donuts these items are quickly stolen by residents who have sold their SNAP benfits for cigraettes, or just don't have them. Residents are told by staff, "Don't take someone else's food because we really don't have time to roll back the camera footage from the night before."
There are other staff members that are not in the shelter. The Director of Services does not have a degree in social services. She raised her voice one time and said to me, "You just need to swallow your pride and get over it." To be a counselor in Virginia someone needs to have a post baccaluareate degree an experience counseling. New Directions has no licensed counelors so they offer to let the Director of Services counsel clients. Apparently there is nepotism going on within the agency because the Director of Services mother is the volunteer director.
The head director is unqualified. Most directors have Masters or PHDs.She is used as a tool to look good for the agency. She has been highly unprofessional on all occasions. What she exactly does, I have yet to find out. Why am I writing this review? I am writing it because this is an agency that relies on donations. It is not fair to the people and businesses who have donated money/and or clothing, food etc. What I do not understand is; where are the donations going? Does anyone ever audit this agency or ask for their accounting records?
They are constantly sweeping things under the rug. When called on it they become immensely defensive and have every excuse in the book as to why. None of the employees seem as though they want to work there. One of the employees stated, "I was hired because I am young, and mallable." There seems to be this commonality of unprofessionalism. This is not a place where someone can get help. If you are thinking of this I would recommend you do not. This is a dirty dormitory. It is not set up to help. Please think twice about going here or making donations to them.
New Directions Center Reviews
Before I begin, I will say that this agency will attempt to write a rebuttal. In my opinon those agenices and companies who write them do so because they are defensive, and in denial. If you did nothing wrong, you do not have a reason to have to explain yourself.
At first this agency appears to be a non profit designed to assist domestic and sexual assualt survivors. They do not offer assistance. There are no counseling services and there is usually a waiting list for their shelter. They do not offer emergency services. If someone is being beaten, it is expected that the police will transport the person to somewhere close to the shelter. When you call for emergency help you are disconnected. The person answering the phone does not phone back.
Once a woman arrives there is a stack of paperwork which takes 2 hours to complete. After someone has been beaten, is afraid and overwhelmed, this is an incredibly inappropriate time to do this. They just have to get those statistics! This is a 30 day motel for women. You are not given new sheets, bed linens, or towels. Nothing is sanitized. When a client is discahrged, they are not required to clean their personal space.
If you do not have children you are expected to share a room with up to 2 other people and stay on a bunk bed. Women who do not want to stay at Valley Mission lie and say they are domestic violence victims. One woman lied about this for over 3 months while popping pain killers. There is supposed to be a no locking your bedroom door policy. The same woman constantly took pain killers to get high every night, and locked her door. Staff members were told about this. They openly chose to ignore it.
There is no food provided. If someone doesn't have SNAP benefits they will starve. There are cans of tomatoes, pasta, jars of peanut butter from a local food bank. There is no consistency to when and how meals are served or prepared. There is no baby food or formula. Some women arrive late at night. They are then woken up early the next morning when they are exhausted and mentally drained. A case manager who works within the shelter is assigned to each client.
The case manager does not have a degree in social services. She grew up overseas and only knows of options in Augusta County. She is young, immature, disrespectul, and condescending. You are told immediately that you need to find a job. No childcare is offered. If you have children, you are told to place an ad on Facebook to find a babysitter. Most women cannot afford to pay a babysitter if they have not been paid yet. TANF will not pay for childcare until someone has been working for at least 2 weeks. What is a woman with 2-3 children supposed to do? Oh, wait! 95% of the women in there are single with no children. There are also always women high on drugs, and/or coming off of drugs. This is not an appropirate place for children to stay.
The shelter is in a rural location with few businesses in the area. Transportation is not provided, except on the bus. The bus stops running at 8PM weekdays and runs until 5PM on Saturdays. For women who are hiding from their abusers, they shouldn't be standing on the highway waiting for a bus. The shelter location is not a secret within the area where it is located. Local healthcare providers know where the shelter is. Since women walk in and out of the front door on a main thoroughfare, it is easy for someone to find out where you are staying.
The biggest problem with New Directions is that they do not listen to what the clients are saying and what they need. There is a one size fits all policy. They are expecting that every woman who is there has/or did have a drug problem. Every woman should be on welfare. and work a minimum wage job, and get low income housing. The problem is that there is a waiting list for low income housing, sometimes a year.
There are some women who are killing themselves everyday to find jobs, childcare, and housing. Other women just go out all day and party. Sure, there are donations but these are picked through by the staff. The staff working there take all of the new and expensive items. They admit to this because they claim they aren't paid well. What is left over are clothes that would not even be donated to Goodwill. There is dollar store shampoo and soap. While there are cameras all over the shelter property many women go and help themselves to donations, like appliances, or makeup.
Someone who wants to prepare for a job interview, cannot. There is no clothing, or assistance with job preparation skills. If someone wants to have a virtual interview they cannot because the shelter residents are so loud. In the middle of job interviews clients, and staff will come storming in. If someone is trying to hide the fact that they are in a shelter, they cannot. If a client purchases food like cake, ice cream or donuts these items are quickly stolen by residents who have sold their SNAP benfits for cigraettes, or just don't have them. Residents are told by staff, "Don't take someone else's food because we really don't have time to roll back the camera footage from the night before."
There are other staff members that are not in the shelter. The Director of Services does not have a degree in social services. She raised her voice one time and said to me, "You just need to swallow your pride and get over it." To be a counselor in Virginia someone needs to have a post baccaluareate degree an experience counseling. New Directions has no licensed counelors so they offer to let the Director of Services counsel clients. Apparently there is nepotism going on within the agency because the Director of Services mother is the volunteer director.
The head director is unqualified. Most directors have Masters or PHDs.She is used as a tool to look good for the agency. She has been highly unprofessional on all occasions. What she exactly does, I have yet to find out. Why am I writing this review? I am writing it because this is an agency that relies on donations. It is not fair to the people and businesses who have donated money/and or clothing, food etc. What I do not understand is; where are the donations going? Does anyone ever audit this agency or ask for their accounting records?
They are constantly sweeping things under the rug. When called on it they become immensely defensive and have every excuse in the book as to why. None of the employees seem as though they want to work there. One of the employees stated, "I was hired because I am young, and mallable." There seems to be this commonality of unprofessionalism. This is not a place where someone can get help. If you are thinking of this I would recommend you do not. This is a dirty dormitory. It is not set up to help. Please think twice about going here or making donations to them.