Kalyne Foster Renda

Monarch Services was founded in 1977, when volunteers secured a grant to open the safe shelter, Mariposa House. The agency continued to grow to meet the need for safe shelter and services to domestic violence victims. In 1987, the agency became one of the first Rape Crisis Centers to be funded in California, and was instrumental in developing and implementing one of the first Sexual Assault Response Teams in the nation. We currently serve approximately 1,500 victims of domestic violence and sexual assault each year. Monarch Services offers immediate crisis response to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through our 24-hour crisis line, including emergency response to law enforcement or medical facilities, and accompaniment to forensic rape examinations. Support services include an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault and their children (the Mariposa House), peer counseling, advocacy, information, referrals, drop-in support groups, and assistance with restraining order applications. We also provide community education presentations to schools, community groups and service providers. All of our crisis intervention and prevention services are available in Spanish and English and are culturally sensitive. Printed materials are also available in both languages. Our outreach efforts have concentrated on poor Latino neighborhoods with residents that have several barriers to seeking services, including language, literacy and legal status issues, and cultural biases. We are extremely proud of our success in serving this special population.