Nonprofit Highlight: Women Against Abuse

Women Against Abuse is Philadelphia’s foremost non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic abuse and providing services to those who have been affected by it. When you consider the amount of individuals helped by the NGO, you can understand how critical their program is. Consider the following information:

• 580 survivors are safely housed in Emergency Safe Haven
• 42 survivors found refuge in Sojourner House
• 144 survivors maintain safe housing to the Safe at Home Program
• 1,312 survivors served by legal center attorneys
• 2,645 survivors served legal center court advocates
• 1,039 survivors served legal center telephone counselors
• 1,859 survivors contacted through the telephone outreach program

People Served

Women Against Abuse provides services to approximately 15,000 women in Philadelphia each year. The majority of clients who get direct services such as safe haven, legal assistance, and temporary housing make less than the federal poverty level. These women would simply fall between the gaps without the aid of Women Against Abuse, shortening their already precarious lives.

The group is also involved in Philadelphia’s political scene. Their support for the Violence Against Women Act is an example of this. Due to the tremendous controversy surrounding the bill’s reauthorization, the support was especially essential this year. Women Against Abuse continues to push for the bill’s full implementation, which is required to assist nearly 68,000 Pennsylvanians.

They are also nearing the end of their Sanctuary certification curriculum, which will assist their center in facilitating recovery from abuse by valuing individuals and fostering trust. Women Against Abuse worked with Columbus Properly Management/1260 Housing Development Corporation to set aside permanent housing units with rental subsidies to assist survivors in finding a permanent housing option. Thanks to Women Against Abuse, 15 families and counting are now placed in a home. Women Against Abuse provides housing as well as community-based health and wellness initiatives, which are particularly beneficial in difficult regions.

Answers To The Rise In Domestic Violence

When Philadelphia had a 67% increase in domestic violence murders, including the majority of women who had already called 911 on their partners, Women Against Abuse responded by creating a telephone outreach program to assist 911 domestic violence survivors. They also implemented a fast-track entry law program that has moved the numbers of clients from 361 to 855 people last year, which means they more than doubled their legal client load and protected that many more people from domestic violence.

Women Against Abuse also collaborates with hospital outreach programs to assist with emergency department screening and intervention services, as well as maintaining communication between hospitals and domestic abuse support providers.

It is clear how much good this group has done for Pennsylvania and all of the survivors who reside there. Imagine what the state would be like if Women Against Abuse didn’t exist.