Unveiling History

Mutual Ground was founded by a group of women known as the Women's Development Council who met at Waubonsee Community College. The council aimed to assess whether women's needs were being met and sponsored programs like workshops and support groups. The response was overwhelming and the council realized that there was a need for a center that could provide 24-hour services to women impacted by domestic violence, thus began the ideation and creation of Mutual Ground.

In March of 1975, the council came together to discuss possible funding, location, and a name for the center. With their hard work and determination, the organization that was once just an idea was incorporated on August 15, 1975 as Mutual Ground, a 501(c)3 organization that provides services to victims of domestic violence. 

Mutual Ground began by providing counseling and advocacy services but there was still a need for a location to provide emergency shelter services. The council continued to worked vigorously to find a location to house a shelter for victims. In 1978, a house owned by the First Presbyterian Church was rented and the the emergency shelter was opened. Mutual Ground’s original shelter was one of the first few shelters in the state of Illinois to provide emergency housing to women and children victims of domestic violence. The space in the original shelter was limited and when the house began experiencing housing code violations, First Presbyterian Church decided to sell the house. Mutual Ground’s board members needed to make the decision to either buy the house and pay for the repairs or find another location for the shelter…they ultimately decided to begin their search for another location. In 1983, as the search for a new shelter was being conducted, services were opened to support victims of sexual violence. A year later a new location for shelter was found with the ability to house 14 clients. 

The need for services to support victims continued to grow. New programming, such as prevention education, were added to expand the service offerings of the organization. This meant more space was needed to house the clients and services the organization was providing. It was in 1997, that the iconic and historic Edna Smith Home was purchased, which doubled the capacity for clients needing emergency shelter and allowed all the services to be housed under one roof. And that is how the story of Mutual Ground began!

Since that beginning, satellite offices for counseling in Yorkville and Batavia and for legal advocacy in the Kendall and Kane County Courthouses have opened to better support victims within the service area. Mutual Ground has continued to expand services by working closely with other organizations including, a partnership with Hesed House to better serve the unsheltered community and participation in the establishment of the Kendall County Domestic Response Team to better serve victims in Kendall County. After two years of planning, in 2021 Mutual Ground acquired Breaking Free, another long standing organization in Aurora, adding outpatient substance use services to the array of services under the Mutual Ground umbrella. 

The story of Mutual Ground would have not been possible without the support from our founding mothers, past and current board members, staff, volunteers, and community members. Thanks to all the support received, Mutual Ground has been able to provide a safe space where individuals impacted by domestic violence, sexual violence and substance use are able to reclaim their power. Mutual Ground’s story is not over…with the support from our community we will continue to evolve to meet the growing needs of our communities.

Written by Lizbeth Rios
Marketing and Events Coordinator