Community Crisis Service Inc

Since its inception in 1970, Community Crisis Services, Inc. (CCSi) has served as a vital resource for individuals in crisis, providing compassionate assistance and connecting them with essential mental health and social service organizations. Our 24/7 hotline is often the first step for those seeking help, and we remain committed to being a lifeline for anyone in need.

Our vision is to offer compassionate crisis support through our hotline, safe shelter programs, and information and referral services to ensure that individuals receive the care and resources they deserve.

Our 'Giving Tuesday' request is based on the need for a kitchen upgrade at our Safe Passages Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter (SPES). 

Domestic Violence in Prince George’s County MD continues to be one of the most pressing social issues facing our community.  

During FY 25, Community Crisis Services provided 14,600 nights of shelter and 43,800 meals to 445 individuals including 209 women, 229 children, 7 men and two non-binary guests.  

 Partially renovated in 2009 with the completion of a new 30 bed addition, the Safe Passages Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter (SPES) kitchen has not seen an update since that time. In the last 16 years, SPES has provided meals and bed nights to thousands of shelter guests. Throughout this time, appliances would be replaced when necessary (often with donated materials) and repairs would often meet the minimum standards based on county requirements.

The Safe Passages program is designed to provide an environment where families and individuals can begin to rebuild stability while receiving supportive services aimed at promoting safety, independence, and sustainability. CCSI is committed to providing hope, safety, and stability to survivors in the program.

Children in Crisis: 

The SPES works to ensure educational continuity by keeping the children in their school of origin. Each child is referred to the local office for Homeless Education, which provides a myriad of needs including school uniforms, school supplies and most importantly transportation so that the children's lives are disrupted as minimally as possible. Keeping children in their school of origin while in a shelter situation is paramount to a child’s mental health according to the National Center for Children in Poverty (nccp.org), 21% of all children live in families with incomes at or below the poverty threshold; a measurement that has been proven to underestimates the needs of families.   According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) violence in children’s lives often causes disruption to their schooling and harms the quality of their educational experiences and outcomes. The abuse children experience can result in emotional trauma, physical and psychological barriers to learning, and disruptive behavior in school, while the underlying causes of these problems remain hidden including the lack of proper nutrition. Our request may help alleviate feelings of food insecurity experienced by a child.  

While we endeavor to meet community needs in whatever way is necessary, funding continues to be problematic. Fee for services contracts have not seen increases in years (some 16 years and counting).and without the continuation of all CCSI services, many of our most vulnerable residents would be without access to services.

CCSI would like to remain in a position to ensure that those in crisis have the ability to get connected to vital services. CCSI does not take into account previous life choices, residency or addictions as a basis for domestic violence related shelter; the SPES program is open to anyone in need and when space at the shelter is unavailable, CCSI will use hotel placements for those in immediate need.