ABOUT US
Alternative House has provided comprehensive domestic violence services in the Greater Lowell area for over forty years. Founded in 1978, Alternative House has served thousands of survivors of domestic violence. The agency provides not only emergency shelter and 24-hour crisis hotline services but access to temporary safe housing, transitional/permanent housing, legal advocacy, supervised visitation services, community/housing advocacy, support groups, youth, and teen programming, as well as daily access to case management, safety planning, and support around goal setting, financial empowerment, and job/educational placement.
Alternative House is one of three founding agencies of the Greater Lowell Evaluation and Advocacy Network (GLEAN) which is a high-risk assessment/rapid response team as well as the founder of the Lowell City Manager’s Task Force Against Domestic Violence.
The agency, formally incorporated in 1978, was founded by a group of women who took part in the “Battered Women’s Movement” of the 70’s – a movement to bring awareness, and an end, to violence against women. This group of women paved the way for the agency to, 44 years later, provide services to thousands of survivors of domestic violence.
OUR TEAM
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Maria Crooker-Capone, Executive Director
Maria Crooker-Capone has been the Executive Director of Alternative House since 2021. Maria holds her bachelor's degree in Business from UMass Lowell and her MBA from Lasell College with a focus in Non-Profit Management. Maria has worked in the domestic violence field for over 15 years in various capacities. Maria believes that providing survivor centered and led programming is critical, and that survivors’ voices need to be not only heard but used as a driving force for Alternative House’s future. Throughout her career she has focused her work on law enforcement’s response to domestic violence, assessing high risk cases to prevent domestic violence homicide, growing strong community connections and partnerships, as well working on creative ways to reach underserved populations. Her passion to maintain Alternative House’s founding grassroots principles of creating a world free of oppression and violence for all, is her motivation every day. When she is not at work, you can find Maria traveling to fun new places with her husband, listening to her vast record collection, snuggling on the couch with her three fur children, or cooking for a group of friends.
Sarah Anderson, Director of Programs & Operations
Sarah Anderson has been with Alternative House since June 2020 when she was hired as the Residential Coordinator for our emergency shelter. She was promoted to Director of Programs and Operations last year and manages multiple programs within our agency. Prior to working for our agency, Sarah worked at a state-run women’s recovery program based out of Taunton State Hospital as a Recovery Specialist. She also spent many years working to open a women’s recovery home in Plymouth, MA that focused on the overlapping challenges and barriers that a lot of our clients must overcome. With 10+ years of program management and development in her career, her experience has afforded her the ability to provide trauma-informed supervision and support for all our program coordinators and their staff. To balance out her work life she indulges in outdoor activities such as kayaking, chasing sunsets for the perfect view, and watching the birds at Myles Standish State Forest. She also enjoys finding the best local restaurants and exploring new cuisines.
Kareen St. Vil, Shelter Coordinator
A self-described passionate worker, Kareen St. Vil is Alternative House’s Shelter Coordinator who is committed to helping individuals and families who need emergency assistance due to domestic violence. She has spent the last two years creating a positive and safe shelter environment , and is most passionate about the work she is doing to promote safety and help survivors develop lifetime security. Before becoming Shelter Coordinator, Kareen was hired as a Residential Life Specialist where she was able to bring her unique perspectives and passions to working with survivors of domestic violence. With a Bachelors Degree in Behavioral Science from University of Maine Fort Kent, Kareen entered the domestic violence world to explore her passion for mental health, relationship health, and to help families gain independence.
Rachel Boumil, Youth & Family Services Coordinator
Rachel Boumil is our Youth and Family Services Coordinator at Alternative House. She has worked with us since 2015 when she started out as an intern in our Youth/Teen program. Rachel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services from Fitchburg State University and is currently attending Boston University School of Social Work for her Master’s Degree. Rachel also volunteers for Big Friend Little Friend at Merrimack Valley Family Services. She is passionate about working with children and is trained in Trauma-Informed Care and Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Lauw Liang, Director of Finance
For the past 16 years, Lauw Liang has been working for nonprofit organizations that provide shelter and services for victims of SDV in FL, NH and now MA. With expertise in not only financial and accounting matters, but also payroll and HR/personnel tasks, Lauw brings a well-rounded balance to the agency’s Finance Department. She is excellent with various nonprofit accounting systems such as QBD/QBO, Abila/Sage, and MUNIS. With an Accounting Technology Certificate Course, and a degree from Gateway College in Lake City, FL, her dedications, trustworthy, experiences, skills and knowledge are an asset to our organization.
Natalie Bergeron-Tarmey, Director of Community Engagement
For over 3 years Natalie Bergeron-Tarmey has grown within the agency, starting with an internship in 2019 and progressing from domestic violence advocate to coordinator to now the agency’s Director of Community Engagement. She completed her undergraduate degree at UMass Lowell with a Major in Psychology and is continuing her education there with the Graduate Certificate Program in Domestic Violence Prevention. She has utilized her education and experience to provide community education, complete risk assessments and safety planning, as well as providing empathetic support to survivors and their children. Now as our Director of Community Engagement, she oversees our growing police partnerships, our 24/7 hotline, community-based programming, and supervised visitation center. In her free time, she enjoys live music, nature walks, and spending time with her friends and family.
Susan Murray, Administrative Assistant
Susan is our administrative assistant and comes to us with over 25 years of office administrative experience. Susan helps to keep our team organized and is usually the first person of contact when you call or visit the office. She oversees all of our donations and helps with planning our fundraising events such as the yearly Golf Classic and Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign. Susan enjoys going into work every day where she feels a great sense of accomplishment being able to help both staff and clients.
Kathy McCarthy, Clinician
Kathy McCarthy is our Clinician at Alternative House. She has worked with us since 1998 when she started her work as a Shelter Advocate and quickly graduated to the role of Emergency Shelter Director. She has held various positions in Visitation, our residential programs and provided groups for children/adolescent witnesses to domestic violence, support groups to our residential and community survivors, domestic violence training to agency staff and has been a participant of the GLEAN high risk domestic violence case assessment team and of the Westford Coalition for Non-Violence throughout the years. Currently, Kathy co facilitates our Community Domestic Violence Support Group and provides therapy and mental health/addiction guidance and support to survivors in our residential programs. Kathy holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston University and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. She also holds an Advanced Certification in Drug and Alcohol Counseling from Middlesex Community College. When not working at Alternative House, Kathy maintains a private therapy practice and enjoys spending time crafting or with her dog, family, and friends. She considers herself an ice cream connoisseur and can often be found trying out the latest flavors at her favorite ice cream stands.
Kylie Richman, Community Based Coordinator
Kylie Richman serves as our Community Base Coordinator, bringing a wealth of knowledge and dedication to her role. Kylie holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Northern Colorado which is where she found her passion in the world of supporting survivors through interning with Assault Survivors Advocacy Program, an on campus support system for students. She first joined Alternative House is spring of 2018 where she focused primarily on our High Risk program. She left at the end of 2019 to return home and be closer to family in Colorado where she continued to further enrich her professional experience by working with various domestic violence agencies and shelters throughout the state. It was during this period that she came to appreciate the exceptional and unique nature of Alternative House's programs. Kylie is deeply grateful to be back, wholeheartedly supporting our mission and the community we serve. Outside of her work, Kylie's interests encompass reading, hiking, and immersing herself in the serenity of nature. She is also an enthusiast of music and cinema, boasting a collection that rivals a library's catalog. To some special individuals, she is affectionately known as 'auntie,' and she always holds her family close to her heart.
Jarielis Cardona, Transitional House Manager
Jarielis Cardona started with the agency in late 2022 as a relief overnight staff. Jay quickly developed a passion for working with survivors of domestic violence and their families. In less than a year, she was promoted to Manager of the Agency's Transitional Housing Program where she has thrived in building connections with families in need of support. Jay has years of supervisory and management skills. She was born in Lowell, MA and grew up in the central part of Puerto Rico, and states that working with Alternative House is personal for her. When not as work, she is with her two kids exploring new places and indulging in new experiences. You can also find her at the gym or just relaxing at home.
Liz Brown, Event & Engagement Coordinator
Liz first started at Alternative House in March 2022 as a consultant, diving headfirst into her passion for their mission. By April 2024, she came on full-time, embracing the role of Events and Engagement Coordinator. Before Alternative House, Liz spent over 6 years at UTEC in Lowell, an organization that serves justice involved young adults. There she wore many hats from direct service to development work. Prior to that, she worked for the Boys and Girls Club in Billerica, honing her skills in community engagement and program development. Liz is a graduate of UMass Lowell, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She delved deeper into her passion with a Master of Art’s degree in Peace and Conflicts studies, focusing on Policy Analysis. Here she explored methods for promoting social justice, participated in advocacy work, causes and approaches to resolve conflicts and violence and practices to transform conflict. Passionate about Alternative House's mission to create a world free from violence and oppression, Liz brings her infectious energy and innovative ideas to the table as the Events and Engagement Coordinator. Outside of work, you can catch Liz globe-trotting, soaking up quality time with her family and friends, and enjoying the great outdoors with her furry companion, Sunshine Clementine.
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