About Us

Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. began in 1978, when a group of concerned community members formed a task force to address rising domestic violence in our region. Two years later, in 1980, that grassroots effort became the Rape and Domestic Violence Center, operating under Marinette County Government with a small office, a network of safe homes, and a mission to provide information, referral, and education across the community.

In 1982, we received our first state funding and opened our first dedicated shelter. We moved to our current location in 1984, and in 1993 we incorporated as an independent nonprofit. That step allowed us to expand well beyond crisis intervention into the full range of prevention, education, advocacy, and outreach we offer today across Marinette, Florence, and Oconto Counties in Wisconsin.

On April 28, 2013, our organization suffered a devastating loss. Patricia “Trish” Waschbisch, our long-time Legal Advocate and Interim Director, was murdered by her boyfriend. Trish had spent her career walking alongside survivors and pushing for the systemic change this work demands. In her honor, we dedicated our shelter as The Patricia J. Waschbisch Center Against Domestic Violence. Her courage, compassion, and conviction remain at the heart of everything we do.

More than four decades after that first task force meeting, Rainbow House has grown into a comprehensive service provider offering emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, support groups, and community education. We serve hundreds of survivors and their children every year, and we continue to work toward a future of communities free from domestic violence. Trish’s legacy lives on in our commitment to trauma-informed care, to innovation in how we serve, and to meeting every survivor exactly where they are.