Turning Point began as "May Day Anonymous" in 1976 with a group of formerly battered women and other volunteers answering a hotline from their homes. Since its incorporation in 1978, Turning Point of Lehigh Valley has helped more than 80,000 victims of domestic violence.
The agency’s first emergency shelter opened in Bethlehem in 1980 with a capacity to house three families. A new, larger shelter opened in Allentown the following year. In 1983, Turning Point established a counseling and advocacy office in Easton, which remained open for the next six years.
In 1986, the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley began a project to establish a Northampton County shelter for Turning Point. That facility opened in 1989 with a capacity to house seven families.
In 1995, Turning Point received a gift of two buildings for the new Lehigh County Shelter and an Easton counseling and advocacy center. The new Lehigh County shelter opened in 1996 and the former shelter in Allentown was converted to a counseling and advocacy office. A new Easton area counseling and advocacy center opened in 1999.
Turning Point began a formal community education program in 1998 and began a medical advocacy program in 1999. A bilingual medical systems advocate joined the program in 2001.
In September 2002, Turning Point integrated its operations by realigning supervisory responsibilities according to tasks as opposed to county.
The current administration and community education building at 444 E. Susquehanna St. in Allentown opened in 2003. The same year, the agency began offering counseling services in the Wind Gap area to reach victims in a rural area of Northampton County.
In 2004 and 2005, Turning Point re-organized some of its administrative staff to further increase public awareness of domestic violence. The Outreach Department was established to coordinate the efforts of the community education, prevention, medical advocacy and volunteer programs, and a Communications Director was hired to foster relationships with the mass media and elected officials.
Turning Point took a technological step forward in 2005 by providing computers, e-mail accounts and Internet access to all staff members.
Over the past few years, Turning Point’s Children’s Advocates have developed ever more innovative outlets for child victims to express their feelings, through play therapy, individual counseling, support groups, and specialty groups. A dating violence support group for teenagers was added in 2005.
A support group for Latina women, also added in 2005, has been a great success, and an important addition to the services Turning Point provides to members of the Latina community.
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