VOICES of Stephenson County

What VOICES of Stephenson County does

VOICES of Stephenson County is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Freeport, Illinois, providing integrated crisis, shelter, advocacy, counseling, and prevention services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, teen dating violence, and elder abuse in Stephenson County. The organization traces its lineage to the 1917 Freeport YWCA, with the dedicated VOICES domestic violence program established in 1982 and reincorporated as an independent non-profit in 2005; in 2014 it absorbed services from the closing Assault & Abuse Services of Stephenson County, expanding into sexual assault services and adopting its current name. Service delivery operates 24/7 through dedicated domestic violence and sexual assault crisis hotlines, the VOICES Survivors Shelter (opened September 2021 as the first county-specific emergency shelter for these populations), hospital-based medical advocacy at FHN Memorial Hospital, office-based legal advocacy and counseling, a Virtual Legal Clinic, a housing program, weekly support groups, and school-based prevention education reaching more than 2,300 youth annually across pre-K through high school.

The service portfolio is delivered by a four-person leadership team (Executive Director Beth Maskell, Associate Director Leslie Brown, Clinical Director Barb Wells, and Education & Family/Youth Services Director Ciarra Ardson) plus counselors, advocates, and prevention staff within an 11–50 employee organization. Technology is not a core component of the service model: VOICES is a human-delivered services organization whose technology footprint consists of a Bloomerang-hosted donation widget on voicesofsc.org, Facebook and Instagram channels, a quarterly electronic newsletter, and basic office and video-conferencing tools. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; funding is assembled from state, federal, and local government grants (including ICADV and ICASA pass-through funding for certified member agencies), individual and business donations, in-kind contributions, community fundraising campaigns, and retail proceeds from the volunteer-staffed VOICES Book Nook used bookstore inside the Lincoln Mall. All client services are provided free of charge and confidentially.

The organization occupies a single geographic market (Stephenson County), holds state-certified rape crisis center status through ICASA and member agency status through ICADV, and operates as the county's primary integrated domestic violence and sexual assault service provider, with referral and co-service relationships spanning FHN Hospital, Tyler's Justice Center for Children, the Senior Resource Center, the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Children's Home & Aid (PAIP referrals), United Way of Northern Illinois, the Freeport Community Foundation, and State Bank.

Name

VOICES of Stephenson County

Legal name

VOICES of Stephenson County

Website

https://voicesofsc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VOICES of Stephenson County is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Freeport, Illinois, providing free crisis intervention, emergency shelter, advocacy, counseling, and prevention education to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Stephenson County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Support Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Sexual assault support
• Crisis intervention
• Trauma-informed counseling
• Victim advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Freeport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Monetary donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. Fundraising campaigns including the shelter campaign, annual events, and the VOICES Book Nook used bookstore proceeds support programs and operations.
2. Government Grants: Funding from state, federal and local government grants including Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault memberships and funding.
3. In-Kind Donations: Non-monetary donations including clothing, household items, gift cards, and supplies for survivors and their families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VOICES of Stephenson County is a non-profit, certified rape crisis center that provides free, confidential services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Stephenson County, Illinois. Its core offerings include 24/7 crisis hotlines, an emergency shelter (VOICES Survivors Shelter), legal and medical advocacy, trauma-informed counseling, support groups, a housing program, a virtual legal clinic, and school-based prevention education reaching more than 2,300 youth annually.

Product overview

VOICES of Stephenson County is a non-profit organization operating as a certified rape crisis center providing a comprehensive suite of integrated services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The organization offers emergency shelter through the VOICES Survivors Shelter, advocacy services (legal, medical, and general), trauma-informed counseling, support groups, a housing program, and a Virtual Legal Clinic. These services are complemented by prevention education programming taught to over 2,300 youth annually, Camp VOICES summer programming, the VOICES Book Nook thrift bookstore, and 24-hour crisis hotlines. The organization serves as a centralized hub connecting survivors with resources across domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, elder abuse, and teen dating violence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VOICES Book Nook: A used bookstore located inside the Lincoln Mall in Freeport, IL, offering more than 65,000 gently used items including books, CDs, vinyl records, magazines, and puzzles. Proceeds support VOICES programs.
• VOICES Survivors Shelter

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevention education reaches more than 2,300 youth annually

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FHN Memorial HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with FHN for hospital-based medical advocacy services where VOICES medical advocates support sexual assault survivors in the emergency room 24/7.
• Tyler’s Justice Center for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's advocacy center serving Carroll, Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties. VOICES staff work with Tyler's team to provide counseling to child survivors of sexual and serious physical abuse.
• Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState coalition membership providing advocacy, resources, and support for domestic violence organizations in Illinois. VOICES is a member.
• Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState coalition membership providing advocacy, resources, and support for sexual assault crisis centers in Illinois. VOICES is a certified rape crisis center and member.
• Senior Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Senior Resource Center to serve older individuals and adults with disabilities who are victims of abuse through Adult Protective Services coordination.
• State of Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program serving residents in long-term care settings. VOICES coordinates with ombudsman for seniors and adults with disabilities who are victims of abuse.
• Children’s Home & Aid Society (PAIP Provider)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIllinois Department of Human Services partner providing Partner Abuse Intervention Program (PAIP) for abusers, including group therapy and substance abuse treatment.
• State BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiving Room level shelter campaign sponsor. Cell phone donation drop-off location.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sarah's Inn: Sarah's Inn (Oak Park, IL) provides domestic violence services including shelter, counseling, advocacy and prevention education in Illinois. Comparable because it offers the same integrated DV service stack (shelter, counseling, legal advocacy) for survivors in an Illinois service area.
• Between Friends: Between Friends (Chicago, IL) is a domestic violence agency providing counseling, court advocacy, and a 24-hour helpline. Directly comparable as another Illinois-based DV service provider operating an integrated crisis/advocacy/counseling model similar to VOICES.
• Tyler's Justice Center for Children: Tyler's Justice Center for Children is a Children's Advocacy Center serving Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Stephenson counties. Comparable because it is a core operational partner co-located in Stephenson County providing overlapping child-survivor counseling and forensic interview services.
• Hesed House: Hesed House (Aurora, IL) is Illinois' largest homeless shelter outside Chicago. Comparable because it operates emergency shelter plus wraparound human services in Illinois and is referenced as the prior employer of VOICES' Executive Director Beth Maskell, indicating directly comparable operational scope.
• Turning Point, Inc. Turning Point, Inc. serves victims of domestic violence in McLean County, Illinois through shelter, counseling, advocacy, and prevention education. Comparable because it is a similarly sized Illinois ICADV-member DV agency offering shelter plus community education.
• DuPage PADS: DuPage PADS provides emergency shelter and housing programs for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in DuPage County, Illinois. Comparable because it is referenced as a prior employer of VOICES' ED, operates a similar emergency-shelter-plus-housing model, and serves a comparable Illinois population.
• YWCA of Northwestern Illinois: YWCA of Northwestern Illinois (Rockford, IL) provides housing, advocacy, and women's empowerment services. Directly comparable because VOICES itself grew out of the YWCA of Freeport, making this the closest legacy peer with shared DNA in women's services and transitional housing.

Broad incumbents

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and supports a nationwide network of rape crisis centers including ICASA members. Comparable as the broader-incumbent national umbrella for sexual assault crisis services, of which VOICES is a certified member.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: The National Domestic Violence Hotline operates 24/7 crisis intervention for DV survivors nationally and is referenced as a routing partner in VOICES' own hotline web page. Comparable as the broad-incumbent national DV crisis service that VOICES' local hotline integrates with.

Others

• Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV): ICADV is the state-level coalition to which VOICES belongs, providing member certification, advocacy, training, and state/federal grant distribution. Comparable as the funding and accreditation ecosystem organization under which VOICES operates its DV programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/voicesofsc
• Instagraminstagram.com/voicesofstephensoncounty

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 VOICES of Stephenson County