Vera House

What Vera House does

Vera House, Inc. is a Syracuse, New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit human services agency that prevents, responds to, and partners to end domestic and sexual violence and elder abuse across seven Central New York counties (Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and Tompkins). The organization was formed on January 1, 2005, through the merger of the Rape Crisis Center (founded 1974) and Vera House (founded 1977 by Sister Mary Vera, CSJ) and continues a 40-year tradition of service to the region. Its core service platform spans four pillars — Counseling (individual, family, and group therapy), Advocacy (system navigation, support groups, legal assistance), 24/7 Emergency Shelter at two confidential locations, and Prevention Education delivered in schools, workplaces, faith communities, and healthcare settings — with a 24-hour crisis hotline and live web chat as primary access points. The organization runs an Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT) acting as the regional hub for complex elder-abuse cases, coordinating prosecutors, law enforcement, adult protective services, financial institutions, and medical providers.

The organization is funded through a diversified mix of individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (Allyn Family Foundation, Green Family Foundation, John Ben Snow Foundation, CNY Community Foundation, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Wegmans, Kinney Drugs), special events (the annual New Beginnings Gala, White Ribbon Campaign, SADA Charity Preview), planned giving and endowment through Vera House Foundation, Inc. (established 1991), and government contracts with the New York State Office for the Aging, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GG-01083-ENGA), New York State Office of Victim Services, and Lifespan of Greater Rochester. All client services are delivered free of charge; the value exchange is donor-funded mission delivery rather than transactional revenue. Its customer base spans survivor populations (adults and children affected by DV, SA, or elder abuse), students K-12 and college, LGBTQ+ community members, men and boys engaged in prevention, and professionals receiving training. Governance is led by CEO Tricia Matthews with a Board of Directors including representatives from Syracuse City Police, Upstate Medical University, Semrush, Chimera Integrations, and Syracuse Community Health Center, and an independently incorporated Vera House Foundation Board of Trustees manages endowment and signature fundraising events.

Name

Vera House

Legal name

Vera House, Inc.

Website

https://verahouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Vera House is a Syracuse-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free counseling, advocacy, emergency shelter, and prevention education to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse across seven Central New York counties, with a regional E-MDT Hub role for elder abuse response.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Sexual assault support
• Elder abuse prevention
• Crisis intervention
• Prevention education

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct contributions from individuals supporting Vera House's mission to end domestic and sexual violence. Donations are tax-deductible (EIN# 51-0201530) and can be made online, by mail, phone, or stock transfer.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations and corporations. Recent grants include Allyn Family Foundation, Green Family Foundation, John Ben Snow Foundation, CNY Community Foundation, and corporate sponsors like Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Wegmans, and Kinney Drugs.
3. Special Events Revenue: Annual fundraising events including the White Ribbon Campaign, New Beginnings Gala, and SADA Charity Preview generate significant revenue. The 2019 New Beginnings Gala raised over $146,000.
4. Planned Giving and Endowments: Vera House Foundation manages endowment funds including the Faye Panasci Children's Fund and Foundation of Hope. The Foundation was established in 1991 to ensure long-term financial health through planned gifts and multi-year contributions.
5. Government Funding: Funded in part by New York State Office for the Aging, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, New York State Office of Victim Services, and Lifespan of Greater Rochester through Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Vera House provides free crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, emergency sheltering, and legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse in Central New York. The organization complements these direct services with community-based prevention education programs delivered in schools, workplaces, and faith communities.

Product overview

Vera House is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive suite of services for domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse prevention and response. The organization operates as a unified service platform with four core service areas: Counseling (individual, family, and group therapy), Advocacy (support groups and system navigation), Shelter (24/7 emergency shelter), and Prevention Education Programs. Additional offerings include support groups such as Men's Clinical Support Group, Still Standing Group, Power to Change, Foundations of Healthy Relationships, Coping Skills Workshop Series, and Real Men Real Talk. Collaborative initiatives include the Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT), Elder Justice Coalition, Pride Coalition, and Interfaith Task Force. Awareness programs include the Survivors' Series Videos and Clothesline Project. The organization maintains a 24-Hour Support Hotline and provides specialized services including a Legal Project and ASL-accessible videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vera House Foundation: A separately incorporated foundation established in 1991 to ensure the long-term financial health of Vera House. Foundation-sponsored events include the annual White Ribbon Campaign and New Beginnings Gala.
• New Directions Rape and Sexual Assault Services

Products and services

• Counseling Services Individual, family, and group therapy designed to support healing for those affected by domestic or sexual violence. Free to survivors in Central New York.
• Advocacy Services Short-term counseling, support groups, and assistance navigating legal, medical, and social service systems for survivors of abuse.
• Emergency Shelter Safe, caring emergency shelter for individuals and families in crisis, with 24/7 support available at two secure and confidential locations.
• 24-Hour Support Hotline Round-the-clock crisis support line (315-468-3260) providing immediate assistance to those in need, with TTY accessibility for the Deaf community.
• Legal Project Legal assistance and advocacy for survivors navigating the justice system, including Orders of Protection support at the Family Courthouse.
• Prevention Education Programs Community presentations on sexual abuse prevention, domestic violence awareness, healthy relationships, dating violence, and elder abuse, delivered in schools, workplaces, and faith communities.
• Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT) Team of professionals working together across seven Central New York counties to review cases of suspected financial exploitation, physical, psychological, sexual abuse, and neglect of older adults, including forensic accounting, civil attorney, and geriatric psychiatrist consultations.
• Power to Change Group 14-week psychoeducational group for women who have experienced or are experiencing domestic violence, focused on safety, healing, and empowerment.
• Men's Clinical Support Group Biweekly confidential, trauma-informed group for male-identifying survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
• Primary Prevention Programming Deep social change work that dismantles harmful norms, systems, and structures of society and culture to prevent violence before it happens.

Quantifiable outcome

• 329 people housed safely in shelter in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Vera House FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991The Vera House Foundation, Inc. was established in 1991 to ensure the long-term financial health of Vera House through planned giving, endowment funds (Foundation of Hope, Faye Panasci Children's Fund), and annual events (White Ribbon Campaign, New Beginnings Gala).
• Twin Oaks Agency GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTwin Oaks Agency Group collaborated with Brockett Creative Group on website development for Vera House, providing digital infrastructure for the organization's online presence.
• Brockett Creative GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBrockett Creative Group developed and maintains the Vera House website, providing ongoing technical support and content management.
• Solon Quinn StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolon Quinn Studios created the Survivor Series video project and other Vera House videos, helping share survivor stories for awareness and prevention.
• Lifespan of Greater RochestermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the E-MDT initiative providing expertise and funding for elder abuse prevention and intervention in Central New York.
• Rescue MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVera House partners with Rescue Mission to provide clothing and household items vouchers for individuals and families being served, as Vera House cannot accept used items due to sorting and redistribution costs.
• Junior League of SyracuseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Junior League of Syracuse to develop the Silent Witness Exhibit raising awareness about domestic violence victims.
• Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with prosecutors, law enforcement, adult protective services, Office for Aging, financial industry, medical providers, and victim services across Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and Tompkins Counties for comprehensive elder abuse response.
• Pride Coalition MembersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of organizations and community members promoting domestic violence and sexual assault awareness and prevention in the LGBTQ community within Onondaga County.
• Interfaith Task Force PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with faith communities of all traditions to take a stand against domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse through collaboration and education.
• Elder Justice Coalition MembersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly coalition of service providers and community members working to increase awareness about abuse in later life and develop resources for the community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Safe Horizon: Safe Horizon is one of the largest victims' services organizations in the U.S., headquartered in New York City, offering shelter, counseling, advocacy, and legal services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking—directly comparable to Vera House's full continuum of care model.
• My Sister's Place: My Sister's Place provides emergency shelter, counseling, advocacy, and prevention education for DV/SA survivors in Westchester County, NY—sharing Vera House's regional integrated-services structure and New York footprint.
• Willow Domestic Violence Center: Willow Domestic Violence Center, based in Rochester, NY, provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and prevention programming for DV survivors across the Greater Rochester region—directly comparable to Vera House's services and Upstate New York orientation.
• Sanctuary for Families: Sanctuary for Families is a New York City–based nonprofit providing shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and case management for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related abuse—closely matching Vera House's integrated shelter-counseling-legal model.
• Center for Safety and Change: Center for Safety and Change provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and legal services for DV and SA survivors in Rockland and Westchester Counties, NY—a closely comparable mid-size regional DV/SA services nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and runs a national network of affiliate service providers offering crisis intervention and referrals—comparable to Vera House as a sexual-assault service infrastructure player, though at a national rather than regional level.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers 24/7 crisis intervention, safety planning, and referrals across the U.S.—directly comparable to Vera House's 24-hour hotline and web chat functions, though at a national scale.
• New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: NYSCADV is the statewide coalition representing DV service providers across New York and operates the NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline—directly comparable as a coordinating and policy backbone that complements Vera House's regional service delivery.
• Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services: Jewish Board is a large New York-based nonprofit delivering mental health, trauma counseling, and DV/SA-related services—comparable to Vera House in clinical service delivery and survivor counseling, though operating as a much broader social services platform.

Regional players

• YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County: YWCA of Syracuse operates domestic violence programming and emergency housing within the same Onondaga County market as Vera House, making it a directly comparable regional peer serving overlapping client populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/verahouseinc
• Xx.com/verahouseinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vera House