Services

Advocates are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to speak with survivors of domestic or sexual violence on the phone. Call 1-800-374-WISE or (231) 796-6600.

Calling the crisis line is the first step to getting services from WISE, whether that means connecting with an advocate for outreach services or coming into our emergency shelter.

The advocate on the phone will ask you questions about yourself and the situation that led you to call the hotline. Be honest and know that you have the support of the person taking your call. Our staff is here to help you and your family stay safe.

WISE’s Outreach Program is designed to serve clients who do not need emergency shelter. Depending on a client’s need, they may be connected with an outreach advocate or sexual assault outreach advocate.

Outreach advocates are available to assist with divorce and custody matters, housing needs, and individual support. Outreach advocates are also available to accompany clients to court or police interviews, and to assist clients in filing personal protection orders or police reports. However, our outreach advocates CANNOT provide free legal representation. If you are in need of free representation, we can connect you to West Michigan Legal Aid for an assessment.

Sexual assault advocates offer the same support as the legal and outreach advocates, but they are also available for medical advocacy and support during sexual assault forensic exams.

WISE advocates are not attorneys and cannot represent clients in court. However, advocates can work alongside attorneys to support clients through any legal process, and can help clients find legal representation if they need it.

Throughout the year, WISE advocates lead classes for clients in Mecosta, Osceola and Newaygo counties. Class topics include pattern changing, parenting and general group support.

Pattern Changing

Pattern Changing is a 14-week group course led by a WISE advocate in each of the three counties served by WISE. Pattern Changing is designed for survivors of domestic violence who are not currently in crisis. The curriculum is survivor-centered, and focuses on the power survivors possess to change the course of their lives. This focus is essential in helping survivors to build the energy and motivation they need to break out from negative patterns and relationships.

Advocates schedule Pattern Changing courses throughout the year. To enroll in a group, call the hotline at (231) 796-6600 to speak to an advocate.

Parenting Courses

The classes focus on increasing parenting skills, connecting mothers to other mother and local resources, supporting mothers in using self-care skills and supports relationships between mothers and their children.

Research using brain imaging technologies reveals that mothers who participate in this course show alterations in their brain activity that are consistent with a capacity for greater empathic responding to their own children.

To enroll in these classes, contact your WISE advocate or call the hotline at (231) 796-6600 to speak to an advocate.

Alternatives to Violence (ATV): Batterer Intervention

WISE contracts with facilitators to run Alternatives to Violence. The curriculum provides a 26-session program for male participants interested in ending all forms of abuse to their families while providing them with the tools needed to change abusive behavior.

Classes are held in Mecosta and Osceola Counties. To register for classes in Mecosta and Osceola counties, call (231) 796-6600.

WISE and our community partners operate the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Response Team to serve survivors in all Mecosta, Osceola and Newaygo counties.

Community partners — law enforcement officers, 911 dispatch operators, court officials, hospital staff, and social service employees — can call WISE’s crisis line to report an incident of domestic or sexual violence. WISE will then reach out to the survivor to assess their need for services.

Through this response team, WISE is also available to visit survivors in the hospital to advocate on their behalf or to provide emotional support.

To learn more about the task force and join our quarterly meetings, join our mailing list. In Newaygo County, email your information to newaygolegaladvocate@wiseagainstviolence.org. In Mecosta and Osceola counties, email molegaladvocate@wiseagainstviolence.org.