Human Options is an innovative, learning organization. Our planning is research driven to define the effectiveness of current programs and develop new programs

Human Options is one of the very few emergency programs to do research on the effectiveness of its programs and on the long-term impact of domestic violence on the family. There is only one other research project on the long-term impact of domestic violence programs in the United States.


Human Options has done three research projects to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs. We have contracted with a university consultant to design and implement follow-up studies of graduates one year after their completion of the shelter or Second Step programs. In each study we found 90 to 93% of the graduates were violence free.


The l997 and 2000 studies showed that even when the families are violence free, the children continue to suffer from the long-term impact of trauma. Dr. Ray Novaco of University of California, Irvine, School of Social Ecology completed the most recent research. He and his graduate students have written a paper on the work of Human Options that was published in the Journal of Family Violence in April 2005.


Dr. Novaco and Human Options will continue to partner on research projects. A board member is exploring funding a project on resiliency that will help us to define why some children do well even after the severe trauma of living in a violent family.

Programs

Human Options has cutting edge programs designed to break the intergenerational cycle of domestic violence and bring new attention to the children.

The research showed the long-term impact of trauma on the children. Human Options has responded to the research by designing a new program called The Center for Children and Families. The Center will have research proven programs to treat the children and their mother for the long-term impact of trauma. Human Options is in the process of developing a plan to seek funding for this center and its innovative programs.

Our current programs include:

• Emergency Shelter

• Second Step

• Community Education
• Community Resource Center
• Elder Abuse Prevention
• Center for Children and Families

• Batterer’s Intervention Program

• Outreach Programs

• Trauma Therapy

• Elder Abuse Prevention