History

DOVE (Domestic Violence Ended) was founded in 1978 by a Violence Against Women Task Force of the Quincy Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women. The task force included representatives from the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, the Quincy Police Department, and other local social services agencies. After investigating domestic violence and local resources for victims, the task force determined that they city of Quincy required a central agency to provide services to battered women. The agency's name is representative of the universal symbol of peace.

In the summer of 1978, DOVE established the first crisis hotline for battered women in the area. During the next year, DOVE designed and implemented a shelter program, which currently has the capacity to shelter up to 18 adults and children at any one time.

Over the past three decades, DOVE has expanded from one crisis hotline to a comprehensive multi-services agency providing crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, children's programs, and community services for adults and children who have been abused, emotionally and financially, as well as physically and sexually.

At DOVE, we believe that all people have the right to live without fear of abuse. In addition to offering services that increase the safety of survivors, DOVE works to eliminate domestic violence through preventative outreach and education.