History

It all started with a single phone, a utility closet and a handful of volunteers. In 1977, a local attorney began to see many cases in which women were being beaten by their spouses. A luncheon was organized which identified a group of volunteers who would meet weekly to coordinate domestic violence services within Contra Costa County. They started with a crisis line in a volunteer's home.

Their first project was to open a shelter, although there was no funding. One of the women who had been attending the meetings had a house in Martinez that she was willing to rent to the organization. Dean Lesher of the Contra Costa Times was approached for his help in getting the shelter furnished and soon donations began to arrive. The shelter opened with two clients and a volunteer staff person. It soon became apparent that trained staff was needed and that the need for more funding was growing.

At first the organization was titled C-A-L-L because of it's primary work as a crisis line, but soon became Battered Women's Alternatives as its services grew to include shelter and other services. Eventually, the name was changed to STAND! Against Domestic Violence to more correctly represent the agency’s expanded service to all members of the family.

By 1989 it became apparent that the needs of the community demanded more shelter beds. STAND! responded by opening the Margaret Lesher Housing and Employment Center in 1990, a facility comprised of 13 apartments for women and children. In 1997, the Rollie Mullen Center opened, providing a 24-bed emergency shelter where abused women and their children can stay up to six weeks; and six transitional housing apartments where women and children can stay for up to a year.

In 2002 and 2003 STAND! opened offices in Richmond, Antioch and Pittsburg in order to better serve the various regions and communities of Contra Costa County.

Today STAND! Against Domestic Violence is a major force for change in Contra Costa County, California. STAND! now boasts over 60 staff and over 150 volunteers who operate all its various programs.