Rockland Family Shelter Changing Name

The Rockland Family Shelter, Inc. opened in 1979 as a residential shelter. Beginning October 1, it will be known as Center for Safety & Change. 

Executive Director Carolyn Fish explained, “I believe the new name reflects our growth as an agency as well as the evolution of our mission – not only to provide services to survivors of intimate-partner violence and sexual assault and their families but also to create strategies to prevent that violence including addressing issues such as sexism, racism, other oppressive ideas and behavior that perpetuate the violence.” 

Fish, a founding member of the (RFS), said, “Center for Safety & Change expresses the evolution of the wide scope of services our agency offers to our diverse community.”

Center for Safety & Change will hold an open house on October 4 to recognize the new name and commemorate October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The new name came out of consultations with the organization’s constituents.

“We chose it with a keen awareness that our mission has grown from direct service to include prevention programs aimed at ending intimate partner violence, and also to signal that we are proactively seeking new collaborative programs,” said Board President Michael Mandel.

FMS started as an emergency residential shelter with a 24-hour hotline for battered women and their children.  The hotline is 845-634-3344. Over the years the New City-based organization has expanded its services to provide court assistance, multi-lingual counseling programs and crisis intervention.  All services are included on the attached document.