Durham Crisis Response Center

What Durham Crisis Response Center does

Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, that provides free and confidential crisis, shelter, legal, and counseling services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, family violence, stalking, and human trafficking. The organization was formed in 2001 through the merger of Rape Crisis of Durham and the Orange-Durham Coalition for Battered Women — two predecessor agencies that had each served the Durham community for more than twenty years — making it the oldest agency in Durham dedicated to these causes. DCRC operates a 24/7 help line, a confidential 16-bed emergency shelter, walk-in legal advocacy for Domestic Violence Protective Orders, individual counseling and weekly peer support groups, hospital and court accompaniment, and community-based trainings and outreach across schools, faith groups, workplaces, and healthcare providers. It also maintains dedicated service tracks for LGBTQIA+ survivors, teens and young adults, and individuals affected by human trafficking, regardless of citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Bilingual Spanish-speaking staff are available and a language line covers most additional languages.

DCRC's service delivery is human-capital intensive rather than technology-mediated: trained volunteer advocates (many of them survivors themselves) and credentialed staff provide trauma-informed support. The organization has no public APIs, no proprietary software platform, and no AI/ML-based products. Service distribution rests on four physical and operational channels: the Durham Family Justice Center at 101 East Morgan St. (co-located with Durham County and Legal Aid of North Carolina since 2023), the confidential emergency-shelter location, the Pennies for Change Thrift Boutique at 2715 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, and the 24/7 crisis help line. The organization also maintains partnerships with local law enforcement through the Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) and with local hospitals for survivor accompaniment.

DCRC's revenue model is donation- and grant-driven. It accepts individual, business, civic organization, and faith-community donations (tax-deductible under its 501(c)(3) status) via a secure website, mail, and in-person channels, supplemented by grants from government and foundation sources, and by proceeds from the Pennies for Change thrift boutique. All client services are provided free of charge with no billing or transactional revenue from end users. The organization is led by Executive Director Shana Carignan (MPA, CFRE) with a Board of Directors and a leadership team spanning shelter, legal advocacy, crisis services, and the thrift boutique. Operating scale is modest, with 11–50 employees and an undisclosed annual budget; it serves as a single-county (Durham) crisis-response provider in the U.S. nonprofit social-services market.

Name

Durham Crisis Response Center

Legal name

Durham Crisis Response Center

Website

https://thedcrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Durham Crisis Response Center is a Durham, NC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, confidential crisis intervention, 24/7 helpline support, 16-bed emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and community education to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, family violence, stalking, and human trafficking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual, business, civic organization, and faith community donations collected through secure website, in-person, and by mail. DCRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with all donations being tax-deductible.
2. Pennies for Change Thrift Boutique Revenue: Proceeds from the Pennies for Change thrift boutique support victims of domestic, family, sexual violence and human trafficking at DCRC.
3. Grants: Funding from grants supports operations, with some needs unable to be funded through grants requiring donor support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, confidential crisis intervention, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and community education to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, family violence, stalking, and human trafficking in Durham, North Carolina. Services are delivered through a 24-hour helpline, a 16-bed emergency shelter, walk-in support at the Durham Family Justice Center, and a thrift boutique social enterprise (Pennies for Change) that funds program operations.

Product overview

Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC) operates as a nonprofit social services organization offering a comprehensive continuum of services for survivors of domestic, sexual, and family violence and human trafficking. The organization provides a single integrated service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include a 24-hour crisis helpline, emergency shelter with 16 beds, legal advocacy for protective orders, crisis intervention and case management, counseling and peer support groups, and community trainings and outreach. DCRC also operates Pennies for Change (P4C), a thrift boutique social enterprise whose proceeds support programming. Services are delivered through DCRC's main location at the Durham Family Justice Center, an undisclosed emergency shelter, and the P4C retail location. All services are free, confidential, and available in Spanish, with accommodations for most languages and disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pennies for Change Thrift Boutique: A thrift boutique operated by DCRC where proceeds from donated and sold goods support victims of domestic, family, sexual violence and human trafficking. Located at 2715 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707.

Products and services

• 24-Hour Help Line A free, confidential, 24-hour helpline (919-403-6562) staffed by trained trauma-informed advocates providing emotional support, safety planning, information, referrals, and crisis intervention for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.
• Emergency Shelter A short-term emergency shelter offering safe housing in a confidential residential location for adults and children fleeing violent situations, with 16 beds across five bedrooms, providing groceries, toiletries, linens, on-site laundry, counseling, case management, legal assistance, and housing and employment support.
• Legal Advocacy Walk-in legal advocacy assistance with filing Domestic Violence Protective Orders (DVPO), victim compensation applications, address confidentiality program filings, and police report accompaniment, provided free of charge.
• Counseling and Support Groups Free, confidential individual counseling and weekly peer support groups for survivors of domestic, sexual, and family violence and human trafficking.
• Trainings and Outreach Free presentations and workshops delivered to schools, faith groups, workplaces, healthcare providers, and community organizations covering healthy relationships, abuse awareness, sexual violence prevention, and available resources.
• Crisis Services and Case Management Trauma-informed crisis intervention including safety planning, case management, emergency shelter referrals, hospital accompaniment, court accompaniment, and coordination with other agencies for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
• Pennies for Change Thrift Boutique A thrift boutique retail operation at 2715 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC, whose sales proceeds directly support DCRC services for survivors of domestic, family, sexual violence and human trafficking.
• Durham Family Justice Center Services Walk-in integrated service hub opened in 2023 through partnership with Durham County and Legal Aid of North Carolina at 101 E. Morgan St., Durham, providing DVPO filing, victims compensation assistance, police report support, safety planning, case management, and address confidentiality program services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men have experienced domestic violence in America
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Durham CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2023 to co-locate services at the Durham Family Justice Center. Durham County partners with DCRC and Legal Aid of North Carolina to provide integrated services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in a single accessible location.
• Legal Aid of North CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2023 to co-locate services at the Durham Family Justice Center. Legal Aid provides legal services alongside DCRC's advocacy services and Durham County resources in an integrated service hub for survivors.
• Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN)minorOthersRAINN is referenced as a resource partner for grooming prevention information and education. DCRC links to RAINN's resources for internet grooming prevention guidance.
• Local Law EnforcementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCRC partners with local law enforcement through the LAP (Lethality Assessment Protocol) program, a secure hotline allowing police to contact DCRC Legal Advocacy Team to assess victim danger after police involvement.
• Local HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCRC provides hospital accompaniment services through trained volunteers who meet survivors at local hospitals after crises. Also partners through LAP program for medical staff referrals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: National 24/7 hotline providing crisis intervention, safety planning, and referrals for domestic violence survivors — directly comparable in mission and free confidential service model to DCRC's 24-hour helpline, but operating at national scale rather than a single city.
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): National sexual assault hotline and anti-sexual-violence organization operating the largest national sexual assault helpline and a network of local rape crisis centers — directly comparable to DCRC's sexual assault response and counseling services but with national reach.
• Safe Horizon: New York City-based broad incumbent offering domestic violence hotlines, shelters, counseling, legal advocacy, and case management — comparable full continuum of crisis, shelter, legal, and counseling services to DCRC but operating at city-wide scale in NYC.
• Human Trafficking Hotline: National 24/7 hotline and referral network operated by Polaris Project for survivors of human trafficking — directly comparable to DCRC's human trafficking response and case management services but with national coverage.

Direct peers

• Compass Center for Women and Families: Orange County, NC-based nonprofit providing crisis intervention, safety planning, counseling, and case management for survivors of domestic and sexual violence — a direct local peer operating the same service continuum in a neighboring county to DCRC.
• YWCA of the Greater Triangle: Regional YWCA chapter providing domestic violence shelter, sexual assault response, and related crisis services in the greater Triangle area — directly comparable in mission, service portfolio, and geographic proximity to DCRC.
• Center for Community Solutions: San Diego-based nonprofit providing 24/7 crisis hotline, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and counseling for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault — directly comparable in free, confidential, full-continuum service model to DCRC.
• InterAct (formerly Coalition Against Family Violence): Wake County, NC-based nonprofit providing shelter, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, and counseling for survivors of domestic and sexual violence — directly comparable in mission and service portfolio as a neighboring North Carolina county-level peer to DCRC.

Regional players

• NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV): North Carolina's statewide coalition supporting domestic violence service providers across the state, including local programs like DCRC — a regional peer that provides training, technical assistance, and funding oversight for member agencies in DCRC's category.
• NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCCASA): North Carolina's statewide coalition for rape crisis centers and sexual assault service programs — a regional peer that sets standards, training, and funding frameworks for member agencies delivering the same services DCRC provides.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DurhamCrisisResponseCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/durham-crisis-response-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Durham Crisis Response Center