Volunteers Shep Landy (from left), Cathy Wire, Stephanie Li, Jill Reagor Smith and Alma Bartley assist at Hope’s Door resale store. Hope’s Door welcomed over 1,000 new volunteers in 2014.[/caption]

Thanks to a rally to save Collin County's only domestic violence shelter last year, Hope's Door's mission is stronger than ever.

According to the National Coalition Against Violence, 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic violence in the United States, said Valerie Schmitt, manager of marketing and development for Hope's Door. With that number 1 in 3 in Texas, the Plano-based nonprofit organization is working hard to ensure resources keep pace with demand.

"It's about saving lives, so you want to use as much [of the funding] as you can for the actual clients," Schmitt said.

Hope's Door started as a crisis hotline in 1986. Today it offers many services to domestic violence victims, including a 24-hour crisis hotline, a confidential shelter with 21 beds where women and children are able to live for up to 30 days, educational programs, a resale shop, counseling and more.

"This is something where you very literally see that you're saving a life," Schmitt said. "If you man our crisis line, [you'll find] people are calling to you in moments of crisis and danger and in need of a safe place to go."

To stay at the shelter, client a victim must first contact either Hope's Door or the Plano Police Department. They are then referred to the shelter or escorted there to ensure the alleged abuser does not follow the victim.

All clients go through an orientation process. Because of potential danger to clients and staff, residents found contacting the abuser and/or disclosing the shelter's location will be asked to leave, Schmitt said.

"Our shelter is run like a house. [Clients are] allowed to cook on their own. They have chores every day. There's a certain time they have to get up, and they have hours they have to be back by [at] the end of the day," Schmitt said. "We also have a very good relationship with the police departments [of Collin County]. They're aware of us and they check on us."

Hope's Door also has 15 apartment units available for temporary housing options. Victims can apply for housing once they leave the emergency shelter and obtain a job if Hope's Door has a vacancy. Clients can live there from six months to two years, with the apartment paid for and furnished by Hope's Door.

The ultimate goal, Schmitt said, is to help victims save money and get back on their feet.

Hope's Door clients also have access to free counseling and a legal advocate to assist in anything from protective orders and divorce to child custody and immigration hearings.

More than 80 percent of the money Hope's Door receives goes directly toward its resources and programs, Schmitt said. One way it keeps expenses down is by volunteer help.

Last May, its emergency shelter suffered a critical and expensive plumbing leak that almost forced the nonprofit to close its doors for good. Thanks to donations and community support, the shelter was able to pay for the much-needed repairs, a blessing Schmitt said has helped the nonprofit better accommodate the needs of Collin County.

"We were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. We were not really in the place for updating it and answering all of its needs [on our own]," Schmitt said. "We also received a very generous donation this year to update our technology and our phone systems. Thanks to these generous donations, we have been able to move forward to respond to the demand."

Hope's Door Resale Store

3000 Custer Road, Ste. 220. , 972-769-0610. www.hopesdoorinc.org