Our newest partner is Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.
The mission of Women’s Resource Center is to create a society in which domestic
violence no longer exists. We strive to meet the immediate needs of the
diverse community of battered women and their children by providing safe
emergency housing and supportive services. We work towards changing the
systems that uphold this violence through education and advocacy. The foundation
of Women’s Resource Center is the empowerment of all women.
Women’s Resource Center has been an outspoken advocate for survivors of domestic violence for 21 years. An investigation on the state of domestic violence in DeKalb County by the DeKalb County Task Force on Domestic Violence in late 1985 and early 1986 led to the founding of Women’s Resource Center in the Fall of 1986. In early 1987, Women’s Resource Center opened its first safe house, and in 2001 completed the construction of an expanded 32-bed safe house. Services provided to residents and non-residents alike include: a 24-hour crisis line, legal and family advocacy, support groups, parenting classes, and community education and outreach programs.
In 2006, Women’s Resource Center served more women in more ways than ever before. Our 24-hour hotline received 10,849 calls. Their safe house provided secure shelter for 163 women and 151 children. 2,312 women used the legal program and 1,300 women attended a Women’s Resource Center support group. Their family advocate worked with 181 families outside of the safe house, including those in the parenting program.
Currently, WRC is seeking to further expand their diverse group of services to include an economic empowerment program that will be made available to anyone they serve, including women from the parenting program, and those residing in the safe house. The economic empowerment program will include financial literacy education, counseling by an expert in the field of fiscal trauma, and financial rewards such as a savings match. An abbreviated version of the program may later be made available to the teenage children of the women they serve.
(full disclosure: Rachel has a working relationship with WRC which will continue until July '08.)
