James Ridlen

New Hope works throughout South-Central and Southeastern Massachusetts with those affected by domestic and sexual violence. By building an anti-violence movement, we seek to create communities free from violence, where individuals and families are able to achieve their full human potential. As an organization dedicated to social justice, New Hope encompasses a way of seeing, naming, understanding, and acting aimed at addressing inequality and oppression across society. Our vision is a simple one, “Every person has the right to live a life free of violence and exploitation.” New Hope was founded in 1979, when domestic violence services were virtually non-existent, New Hope’s founder, Edith Palmer, and a small group of volunteers established a hotline for survivors, taking turns answering calls forwarded to their homes. This single hotline expanded to include other critical services to help families achieve safety, such as an emergency shelter and counseling. However, the agency soon realized that if it was going to achieve the long-term goal of ending domestic violence, it needed to provide not only crisis intervention services, which respond to violence after it occurs, but also preventative and educational services to help survivors maintain their safety while gaining critical life skills and self sufficiency tools to help them fully overcome violence and become able to lead stable, independent and productive lives in the community. Over three decades, New Hope expanded geographically and programmatically to better achieve our mission. In addition to broadening its services to survivors, the agency expanded its reach to involve other stakeholders to address violence and to maximize successful outcomes.