Formally known as, Listening Ear Crisis Center, Wings Family Supportive Services, Inc. was created from a combined community effort to establish services for sexual assault and domestic violence victims. Listening Ear Crisis Center was founded in 1978 and was housed in the Douglas County Hospital.  In 1991 LECC received their non-profit 501c (3) status and moved into a site downtown Alexandria.  Through October of 2006, LECC provided crisis and support services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and general crime.  We also had a safe home for victims fleeing domestic violence and a 2 year transitional housing program.  Our Supervised Visitation and Exchange Program, named PLUS Kids, was opened in 1997.

During the year 2007, the agency went into a total make over, building a new mission, vision, and strategic plan.   We moved away from being focused on the crisis within the family unit to being proactive by setting our priorities on building healthy families and emotionally strong children.  LECC then became Wings Family Supportive Services.
 
We believe that violence within the family unit affects everyone and children are the most vulnerable.  For those children who experience domestic violence they stand a greater chance of experiencing abuse as an adult.  Studies have found that a significant risk factor for becoming a child abuser, domestic violence perpetrator or violent juvenile offender is having been abused at home.  It is important to ensure that child victims receive the guidance, support, and services necessary to allow them to become a survivor, to break the cycle of violence and to thrive as healthy adults.  Children are our future and healthy communities begin with healthy families.  

We also believe that both mothers and fathers are a very viable part of raising healthy children and all too often children from single families have very little contact with their father.  Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of a father’s involvement in their child’s life. Research has found that children that have active and involved fathers in their lives are more successful in school and less likely to drop out; more self confident with their respective male or female identities: less susceptible to peer pressure; and less likely to get in trouble with the law.  

Wings Family Supportive Services now focuses on support services to homeless families who are victims of domestic violence and are in need of transitional housing through our Transitional Housing Program.  Our Supervised Visitation and Exchange Center, PLUS Kids, provides children and their parents a safe and neutral place to visit and exchange.  We provide support counseling to the children and youth by meeting with them one on one and/or in a group setting through our Child & Youth Services Program. Through our Father’s Resource Program we provide support fathers and their children.    

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