Penelope House is overall a decent agency to work for, however, there are many issues that need to be addressed in order for staff to feel appreciated and valued. Supervisor's micromanage every single task that staff completes.. Be prepared to tell the supervisor every single task you have completed every single day. Supervisor's tend to call out staff for mistakes in a group setting but does not address the 'real' issues. Supervisor's also look down on staff when asking questions and treat staff as incompetent. Supervisor's play favorites with staff and with the clients. Allowing certain clients to break critical safety rules with no consequences while other clients are put out for small mistakes. Staff often blame the victims for their situation. Staff do not allow for the clients to have autonomy. Staff do not respect the clients right to self determination. Staff baby the clients and do not allow for clients to gain any sense of independence. Issues of staff picking on gay and black clients were directly presented to the supervisor's and executive director but were never addressed. Staff do not abide by the NASW Code of Ethics. Licensed Social Workers continuously break the NASW Code of Ethics and Supervisor's put staff in a position where staff must defend themselves in order to not break the code of ethics. Supervisor's and the executive director request staff to donate to the agency and peer-pressure staff to donate money to the agency to 'support its grants'. Staff are severely underpaid for the work being completed. The agency requires all staff to hold a degree, yet barely pays over minimum wage with limited benefits. There are no retirement or life insurance benefits through the agency. There are also no benefits for malpractice insurance for social workers. There is no chance for advancement within the agency and there are no opportunities for raises. There are issues within the supervisors and administrative staff. Many of the higher ups are related and show favoritism towards staff who are of Greek decent. Due to these issues, many staff are trying to leave and the turn over rate is very high. Overall, Penelope house is an ok place to work. It is a good place for young social workers to gain experience and work with a population that truly need the help. Penelope House does a disservice to their clients by not addressing these issues.
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- EIN 63-0763198
- (251) 342-2809
- 2907 Old Shell Rd Mobile AL 36607-2819 USA
- www.penelopehouse.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Domestic Violence, Family Violence Shelters, Homeless & Housing
Mission: To provide safety, protection, and support to all victims of intimate partner domestic violence through the provision of shelter, advocacy, and individual and community education in mobile, washington, choctaw and clarke counties in alabama.
Programs: Penelope house fielded 1,602 crisis calls, provided 7,960 nights of shelter to 833 victims and served 23,880 meals to victims; the court advocacy program assisted in obtaining protection from abuse or no contact orders for 1,272 clients; the prevention education program reached 25,833 individuals; and 147 adult and child victim support groups touched 382 individuals during the year.