Who We Are

JBWS is a private, nonprofit agency that provides safety, support and solutions for abuse for anyone who lives or works in primarily Morris County, NJ and faces the issues of intimate partner abuse.

Our Mission is the prevention of domestic violence through the protection and empowerment of the victim, the rehabilitation of family members, the advocacy for social reform to prevent partner violence, and the education of the public about domestic violence and its consequences.

 

JBWS from its early beginnings

In 1976, a small group of women in Morris County began a helpline to aid victims of domestic violence. When two of these callers were murdered by their husbands, the need for a confidential shelter became urgent.

 

From its grass-roots beginnings, Jersey Battered Women’s Service opened its shelter doors to the community in late December 1978.

Today, the agency has grown into a full-service, private, nonprofit domestic violence agency with programs that provide safety, support and solutions for all survivors of abuse. The services include 24-hour helpline; safe house; counseling for adults, adolescents and children impacted by abuse; transitional living, including life skills education and vocational counseling; legal advocacy; batterer’s intervention; teen dating violence prevention services; training for professionals; and community awareness and engagement programs.

 

In 2016, JBWS became the lead partner for the Morris Family Justice Center, a coordinated, one-stop domestic violence resource provided by multiple service agencies.

 

Beginning in 2019, the agency will keep its legal name Jersey Battered Women’s Service, but to do business as only JBWS. Now, anyone can feel welcome into the program and services regardless of the severity of the abuse, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

 

The vision of JBWS is to create a community-wide culture that refuses to tolerate the presence of any form of intimate partner violence.

 

More than 75 paid staff and nearly 200 volunteers work together with the help of the community to fulfill the agency mission.

 

View our pictorial JBWS 40-Year Timeline to learn more about our rich history.

 

JBWS Diversity Values Statement

JBWS affirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion and will foster and develop our cultural competency* to ensure that commitment. We believe that diversity enhances our ability to accomplish our mission and facilitates our growth as an organization.

 

We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment where every individual is respected, welcomed and appreciated. We value safety and justice for all individuals.

 

We recognize that oppression and the abuse of power foster violence. We will seek to identify and remove barriers to services. We will serve victims and survivors of domestic violence, persons using abusive behavior, and each of their families in a manner that embraces the richness of our differences and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, race, age, immigration or citizenship status, sexual orientation, economic status, religion, national origin, culture, disability, health status or intellectual perspective.

 

We commit to foster a respectful, inclusive work environment that provides support and encouragement, nurtures leadership, and emphasizes the effective use of the talents and abilities of all staff and volunteers. We strive to maintain an atmosphere of respect and trust in which we feel safe to explore and discuss our attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors in relation to others who are similar to and different from ourselves, regardless of our position within the organization. We recognize that in order to do this, we continually need to educate ourselves, examine our personal prejudices and cultivate positive behavioral change in one another. This means challenging ourselves and others in the broader community in an ongoing, mutually respectful dialogue.

 

Because we believe that every individual is important in a unique way and adds to the overall quality of the organization, we will strive to recruit and retain qualified diverse staff on every level of the agency and to foster an environment that draws strength from, celebrates, and honors diversity.

 

We strive to embody these values within the organization and in our work throughout the community.

 

*Cultural competence means that organizations have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate behaviors, policies and structures that enable them to work effectively cross-culturally in all types of culture, not just national origin.