About Crossroads

Crossroads Safehouse has been providing shelter, outreach, and prevention in the Fort Collins area for 42 years.

In 1980, a group of concerned citizens came together to address the issues of our community's victims of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse. There were simply not enough services for victims to find safety and receive the support that they needed. They partnered with the City of Fort Collins on a Block Grant, and with those funds they purchased a 4-bedroom house. Every room was filled on the same day that Crossroads Safehouse's doors were opened.

Crossroads provides trauma informed care to victims through advocacy and support. Its programs and services include our crisis line (answered by an advocate 24/7), emergency shelter (accessible 24/7), non-resident advocacy, domestic abuse response, legal advocacy, legal representation, rapid and transitional housing, prevention and education, and youth and bilingual advocacy.

Crossroads aspires to create a future without domestic violence. We focus on sheltering, outreach, and prevention with an eye toward doing all that we possibly can to reduce the numbers we see.

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Our Mission/Vision

Mission

Crossroads Safehouse shelters, supports, advocates for, and empowers all people so we can live free of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse.

Vision

A community free of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse.

Values - Statement on Social Justice

Crossroads Safehouse recognizes that many social injustices and iniquities play a role in the dynamics of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse, as well as in our society at large.

  • Structural racism is prevalent throughout our institutions; this limits access that Black people, People of Color, and Indigenous people have to health care, housing, employment, education, healthy food, and other needs and opportunities.
  • For Black people, institutional racism can even limit access to our most basic human right: life itself. This is shown by the numerous tragedies that led to the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the global demand for racial justice.
  • Sexism, ableism, ageism, and other forms of discrimination are also systemic ills that hinder our collective push for a just and equitable society.

Domestic violence does not discriminate, and it is a pervasive issue worldwide. Anyone can be a victim of violence and abuse, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, disability, socioeconomic status, or any other identifying factor. We also understand that some populations are more at risk, as seen in the #MeToo Movement.

We also know that intersectionalities of identity compound risk of violence. Domestic violence can be a form of gender-based violence and disproportionately affects women.

  • At the same time, Black women, Indigenous women, Latinas, and other women of color experience domestic violence and intimate partner abuse at higher rates than white women.
  • Trans women of color, and gender nonconforming individuals of color, higher still.
  • We also know that men experiencing abuse face unique challenges based on societal norms of masculinity and often lack access to services responsive to their situation.
  • Individuals in higher-risk populations often face additional barriers to seeking services and support when experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner abuse.
  • It is important for service providers to acknowledge intersectional forms of oppression and violence and to take steps to decrease barriers to access in order to better serve our communities in an equitable and effective way.

Crossroads Safehouse shelters, supports, advocates for, and empowers all people so we can live free of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse. We strive to push this mission forward by prioritizing social justice in our programs and in our culture.

  • We are whole-person centered and seek to meet people where they are.
  • Core values of respect, empowerment, inclusivity, and safety inform not only our decisions for long-term growth but also our daily processes and routines.
  • We celebrate diversity and seek to elevate the voices of disadvantaged groups in our advocacy, in our hiring, and in our leadership.
  • We recognize as an agency we still have room for growth. We pledge to continue to challenge our existing systems and be accountable to one another and our communities in this mission.

Social justice efforts are numerous and interweave: racial justice, economic justice, housing justice, environmental and climate justice, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, disabled rights, and many more are all connected.

Crossroads Safehouse supports these efforts and works to promote equity within our organization, our field, and our community.

Board of Directors

Kelli Pryor

President

Mari Riesel

Vice President

Tracy Katz

Treasurer

Alita King

Secretary

Morgan Gray

Member

Katie Nixon

Member

Jesse Ihnen

Member

Angie Penland

Member

Dawna Susa

Member

Brad Turner

Member

Lorenda Volker

Immediate Past President

Staff

Lori

Executive Director

Stacie

Program Director

Karen

Operations Director

Megan

Outreach & Prevention Manager

Sinclaire

Direct Services Manager

Rick

Facilities Coordinator

Alicia

Community Relations and Volunteer Coordinator

Camille

Outreach and Prevention Coordinator

Cleo

DART and Legal Coordinator

Olivia

Road to Home Coordinator

Sami

Direct Services Training and Volunteer Coordinator

History

40-Year-Anniversary-Header

In 1980, within two hours of opening our doors for the very first time, our facility was at capacity. Since then, the need to support victims of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse persists.

As we reflect on Crossroads Safehouse’s 42nd year of providing lifesaving services to our community, we have a deeper appreciation of what our founders understood years ago.

In 1977, a task force of representatives of the District Attorney’s Office, mental health organizations, law enforcement, community agencies and women’s organizations united to address the lack of services for battered women in Larimer County. Together, they formed what would come to be referred to as the Battered Women’s Task Force. This task force identified the development of a shelter as its top priority and began seeking funding. In 1979, the City of Fort Collins awarded $100,000 in Community Development Block Grants to purchase a shelter facility. The Battered Women’s Task Force proceeded to elect a Board of Directors and was then admitted as a United Way agency. Striking an agreement with the City of Fort Collins for a long-term $1 per year lease, they secured their first facility. In 1980, the safehouse was renovated and opened its doors to clients on August 12, 1980.

Since then, the organization has grown considerably. Crossroads Safehouse is now housed in a 29,000 square foot facility with 31 rooms, serving victims and their families every day of the year.

As the population continues to grow and evolve in Northern Colorado, our team of 35 dedicated staff members works hard to provide wrap-around services to victims in need including access to our emergency shelter with therapy, legal advice, food, and much more.

1977

A task force of representatives of the District Attorney’s office, mental health organizations, law enforcement, community agencies, and women’s organizations began meeting to address the lack of services for battered women in Larimer County.  The task force identified the development of a shelter as its top priority and began seeking funding for this goal.

1979

The City of Fort Collins awarded $100,000 in Community Development Block Grants to purchase a facility.  The Battered Women’s Task Force was incorporated, elected a Board of Directors, was admitted to United Way as a member agency, and purchased a facility.  The City of Fort Collins owns the facility with a long-term lease at $1/year to Crossroads.

1980

The Safehouse was renovated and opened its doors to clients on August 12, 1980.  Crossroads filled its four bedrooms to capacity within its first day of opening.

1982

Crossroads held its first Fabric of Legacies fund-raiser, a quilt show held at the Lincoln Center.

1985

Outreach counseling services and support groups for women and children in the community were added.

1985 - 1986

An adjacent house was purchased with funds from the Community Development Block Grant Program.  The second house was renovated to expand capacity to eight bedrooms and to add on-site staff offices, a counseling room and a children's playroom.

1988

Crossroads worked with other agencies to establish the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, a coalition of programs dealing with domestic violence in the county.  As a part of this project, Crossroads began the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART).

1988 - 1989

The adolescent/teen outreach program was started through a grant from United Way.

1989

Crossroads began a second major annual fund-raiser, its membership drive.

1990

Crossroads expanded its programs with court advocates (support with court appearances and processes).

1995

An addition was added to the shelter to provide more bedrooms and office space. The addition included four additional bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, five staff offices and a meeting room for groups.

2008

Columbine Health Systems donated an unused nursing home to be renovated into a new Safehouse.

2010

Crossroads Safehouse completed a $1.0 million capital campaign for its renovation.

2011

Crossroads Safehouse opened its renovated safehouse to provide shelter and services to area victims of domestic violence.

2020

Crossroads celebrates its 40th year of serving victims of domestic violence and interpersonal abuse. Five of its 31 rooms are dedicated to the newly formed rapid and transitional housing program, Road to Home. Crossroads serves 3,983 victims across all of its programs while also mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.