After almost 30 years, Kris Lukens retires from Voices Against Violence

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After almost 30 years leading Voices Against Violence, Kris Lukens is stepping into retirement.

Lukens took the helm of the local domestic and sexual violence agency in 1996, just as it was preparing to open its very first shelter. Today, as she’s leaving, Voices will open a second.

“Stepping back, I think one of the reasons I was hired here was because I had experience opening a shelter in Michigan, and there was a thought that we could do that here,” Lukens said.

Laurie’s House — the first domestic violence shelter in northwest Vermont — opened in 2002. This December, a second shelter will open in St. Albans, and Voices will become the first domestic violence agency in the state with two congregate housing options.

Shannon McMahon, who has been with Voices for six years as its advocacy coordinator, is already stepping into the role of executive director, working with Lukens during the transition.

Building to last

Lukens might be a social services professional, but she leads like a contractor.

“I like building things, doing that kind of work,” she said.

In the late 1980s in northern Michigan, Lukens joined an organization that had nothing and built it up into an agency that still serves its community today.

“The board advertised for a director to work for free, because there was no money,” Lukens said. “I applied and got the job, and I said I would do that for a year and try to get some funding.”

Her dedication won her some state grants that overtime grew to sustain 15 staff members and a brand new domestic violence shelter. By the time she left the organization, it was serving three whole counties.

“It’s still there,” she said. “Everytime I go back, I drive by.”

That love of building something that lasts led her to Voices Against Violence. When her family moved to Vermont, Lukens was drawn to the agency that helps people recover from both domestic and sexual violence.

From a tiny office on Fairfield Street, built up Voices grant by grant and staff member by staff member. Federal funding from the Violence Against Women Act, which had just become law in 1995, laid the foundation for that expansion, and Voices grew its reach and started a needs assessment to see if there was demand for a shelter in Franklin County.

It turns out there was — and in January 2002, Lukens and her staff welcomed the first family to the new emergency shelter, which was later renamed Laurie’s House. Over the next 20 years, the shelter would serve 1,218 adults and children seeking a safe place to stay.

“We do hear from people that we've helped many years ago. It’s amazing,” Lukens said. “I keep all the letters we get.”