About The Abbie Shelter

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The Abbie Shelter is a leading nonprofit organization in beautiful Flathead Valley, Montana. Our mission is to promote safety, independence, and empowerment for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Flathead County. We serve clients of all backgrounds and genders through free services including 24-hour helpline, court advocacy, mental health care, shelter, and safety planning services. We are much more than just a shelter, and we support our clients through any step of the process of getting safe and recovering from intimate partner violence. Every year the Abbie supports more than 1,000 clients through our services and provides education to more than 1,500 additional people in the community.

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Organization Aims

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1. Show up. Answer the call. Provide accessible services to all who seek them.

2. Prioritize safety: The physical and emotional safety of our clients, staff, and supporters.

3. Meet people where they are with empathy and compassion. Be trauma-informed.

4. Be a voice for victims’ rights and social justice. Challenge the status quo when it needs challenging.

5. Offer hope to the suffering.

6. Never give up!
    

Organization Values & Approaches

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1. Trauma-Informed: We aim to accommodate the real neurobiological needs of trauma survivors.

2. Client Lead: We view the survivor as being in charge of their own journey.

3. Strengths Based: We focus on the positive and the possible.

4. Relationship Based: We trust that relationships between survivors and staff are key to success.

5. Evidence Based: We use research to guide our policies and practices.

6. Feminist Based: We acknowledge the societal structures that limit peoples’ choices.

7. Coordinated Community Response: We collaborate with local partners to coordinate systems of care.

8. Employee Self-Care: We believe that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Organization Core Competencies

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1. Have a deep understanding of the complexities and demanding nature of providing direct care to vulnerable populations and survivors of trauma, and possess the ability to provide trauma informed care.

2. Have the ability to empathize with clients while simultaneously providing a boundaried, self-regulated, structured, and compassionate professional relationship.

3. Demonstrate cultural competence, the ability to empathize with people from diverse backgrounds, and experience providing inclusive services.

4. Have the capacity to balance client and organizational needs with personal emotional and physical needs.

5. Possess strong self awareness, with the ability and desire to self-reflect. 

6. Have the ability and desire to work effectively both independently and collaboratively. 

7. Have strong time management and task prioritization skills.

8. Have the ability to seek support, articulate needs, and receive feedback from clients, and co-workers.

9. Have the desire and capacity to build partnerships and work cooperatively with other service providers.

10. Possess above-average listening skills.

11. Strong written communication and documentation skills; proficiency in use of computer programs such as Google Drive, Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.

12. Ability to legally operate a motor vehicle and provide own transportation, lift up to 40 lbs, and work under variable conditions including: variable weather, noise, and other potentially unpredictable situations. 

13. A passion for the mission of the Abbie Shelter.
     

Abbie Shelter Statement Of Inclusion

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The Abbie Shelter fosters a culture of inclusion. We value folks with a wide breadth of life experiences and world views. The Abbie values people of all racial, cultural, national, sexual orientations, gender identities, religious beliefs, marital statuses, family structures, ages, mental and physical health and abilities, political perspectives, educational backgrounds, and class statuses.