Creating Real Change Every Day ywca Spokane

ywca Spokane OUR MISSION

THE YWCA SPOKANE IS DEDICATED TO ELIMINATING RACISM, EMPOWERING WOMEN AND PROMOTING PEACE, JUSTICE, FREEDOM AND DIGNITY FOR ALL.

OUR VISION

EQUALITY FOR ALL

BY HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF EVERY WOMAN, WE BRING

REAL CHANGE TO THE FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND RACIAL

JUSTICE, CREATING THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A WORLD WHERE SOCIAL JUSTICE EXISTS FOR EVERYONE.

SPOKANE

WHAT WE DO SINCE 1903, THE YWCA SPOKANE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN SUPPORTING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY.

On average, we provide services to 17,000 women and children annually. Our programs help women escape from domestic violence, get access to legal support, provide a safe place for healing and growth, and grant opportunities for women to learn new skills, increase employment options, and provide access to resources for their children’s education and well-being.

SHELTER

LEGAL

HEAL & GROW

NECESSITIES

CHILDREN

TRANSFORM

The YWCA Spokane’s domestic violence safe housing program and shelters are crucial resources for almost 600 women and children every year.

The YWCA Spokane helps almost 2200 domestic violence survivors navigate the court system and assists with over 400 DV related civil legal cases each year.

Over 2500 women and youth receive the counseling, safety, support, and services needed to address barriers and begin moving forward.

The YWCA Spokane provides over 2000 women with the clothing, toiletries, and other necessities needed to be confident and dignified while achieving their goals.

The YWCA Spokane educates, cares for, invests in, and advocates for over 1000 girls and boys in Spokane and in the surrounding communities each year.

The YWCA Spokane’s Transformations Camp inspires and motivates 30 young women of color each year, encouraging them to embrace the extraordinary young women that they are.

WE ARE PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT SERVING OVER 2 MILLION IN THE U.S. AND 25 MILLION WORLDWIDE IN 120 COUNTRIES.

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JILL IS ONE OF MANY IT TOOK ME 12 YEARS TO LEAVE HIM... “I married young and had 4 kids with a man I loved. I had a family I chose to dedicate my life to. He became my foundation after my parents’ divorce and my mom’s accident. “I didn’t recognize all the signs. They started so small and built up slowly over time. It wasn’t all bad. A lot of it was really wonderful. The violent episodes were sometimes years apart. That is what made it so hard, so confusing. “My mom took me to a YWCA support group, and I began seeing a counselor. I cried and cried. I didn’t realize how much I needed a release, how much I was holding it together for everyone. I learned about the power and control wheel, but I still didn’t want to leave him. I valued my family and wanted to work it out. The YWCA respected my decisions. They never wavered in their support for me, which made it safe for me to come back when I needed them again. “His behavior got worse, and the violent episodes happened more frequently. I was scared for my life and left. We stayed at the YWCA domestic violence shelter. I was so angry, so upset that this happened to me. The staff was gracious and kind and patient with me. “I stayed at the shelter for 2 months before I found a new home. The YWCA connected me to a training program that helped me find employment. The YWCA offered me a match savings program that allowed me to purchase a computer. I then got my bachelor’s degree through online courses. “I will never forget about this valuable resource and how important it has been to my survival.” - Jill, YWCA Spokane Client

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT SERVICES Alternatives to Domestic Violence Programs 24HR HOTLINE

COUNSELING

Our shelter staff answer almost 4000 domestic violence calls each year, providing confidental support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Grieving, healing, and a safe space to process is imperative to the health of a survivor. We provide counseling to over 900 women each year.

SUPPORT & SAFETY PLANNING

FINANCIAL NAVIGATION

We help over 2000 people make sense of a difficult situation, provide education about options, and help create a plan for their family’s safety.

We help over 400 families navigate state assistance programs to ensure they are justly supported from the devastating financial impact of domestic violence.

CONFIDENTIAL HOUSING

MEANINGFUL RESOURCES

FAMILY LAW

SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN

Whether it’s temporary, transitional or permanent supportive housing, we help almost 600 survivors with shelter; we offer a safe place for women to regroup, to sort out their feelings, and time to prepare for whats next.

Getting safe is the first step of many when moving through a domestic violence situation. Job readiness, skill building, and access to clothing are just a few of the resources we connect clients to every day.

Our legal team assists almost 400 families navigate the complex, confusing, and expensive court and family law system.

Each year, trauma sensitive support services are made available to over 400 children and youth who have been exposed to domestic violence situations.

PROTECTION ORDERS

WRAP-AROUND ACCESS

Harassing, stalking, and constant abuse are realities for many survivors. We help over 600 women get the formal legal protection they need to feel safe.

On an annual basis, our weekly walk-in clinic provides over 1000 survivors with meaningful action steps and resources to assist them with their situation. 5

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT Women’s Opportunity Center

The Center assists over 2000 women each year with their personal, professional, and financial goals through 3 programs: Essential, Women to Work Program, and Our Sister’s Closet.

ESSENTIALS

This 12-week, 4-day-a-week intensive program is an innovative, trauma-sensitive, group facilitation approach designed to help women gain self-awareness, self-confidence, motivation, and the skills necessary to successfully obtain and retain employment.

WOMEN TO WORK PROGRAM

“I GOT A JOB AND HAVE HELD IT WITHOUT FEAR OF LEAVING MY HOME. I HAVE BEEN BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH COWORKERS IN WAYS I FOUND IMPOSSIBLE BEFORE. ON TOP OF IT ALL, I HAVE FINALLY BEGUN SCHOOL!” - ANGELA, WOC PARTICIPANT

This program provides a safe, welcoming space for women to build relevant computer and soft skills, look for work, develop healthy relationships, and achieve goals while dealing with barriers such as homelessness, domestic violence, single motherhood, poverty, and unemployment.

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OUR SISTER’S CLOSET A DONATION-BASED, FREE CLOTHING BOUTIQUE FOR WOMEN While looking for employment, re-entering the work force, seeking additional education, or rebuilding their lives, women have their clothing, toiletry, and necessity needs addressed through personalized appointments, open-store events, and emergency kit services.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

ECEAP

(EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION & ASSISTANCE PROGRAM) ECEAP IS WASHINGTON’S PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM SERVING LOW INCOME 3 & 4 YEAR OLDS AND THEIR FAMILIES, ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENSURE GAINS ARE SUSTAINED THROUGHOUT LIFE. Children in the YWCA Spokane’s 4 classrooms receive high quality, engaging pre-school education, health services, and intensive family support. ECEAP honors that parents are the first teachers of their children and highly encourages parents to advocate for their children’s needs. Parents volunteer in the classroom and contribute to child based studies, program services, nutrition, and educational goals.

LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY, AND PARENT EDUCATION

In the Parent Policy Council, parents and community members work together with the ECEAP staff to educate legislators about the positive effects ECEAP has on children and families.

DID YOU KNOW... High quality pre-k, leads to: . Lower criminal involvement . Higher graduation rates . Higher reading scores . Higher math scores

Only 43% of eligible children are in pre-k programs. Nearly 200 WA homeless children are waiting for subsidized pre-k.

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ON-SITE CHILDCARE

Annually, almost 500 children are cared for by our free, on-site child-care program while their caregivers participate in skill-bulding, job readiness services, counseling and other domestic violence support services.

TRAUMA SUPPORT

Provides over 400 children and youth each year with a chance to heal and thrive after experiencing violence; helps kids to process and understand that family violence is not normal or accepted.

YOUTH OUTREACH

The YWCA Spokane partners with youth programs to provide key intervention and prevention services for our most at-risk young people. Almost 400 teens are reached with regular discussions about healthy relationships, boundaries, and communication.

SPOKANE

TRANSFORMATIONS CAMP AN ANNUAL SUMMER CAMP WHERE YOUNG WOMEN FROM OUR COMMUNITY GATHER IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT TO BUILD CONFIDENCE, IDENTIFY STRENGTHS, AND BUILD HEALTHY AND LASTING RELATIONSHIPS. The YWCA Spokane began the Transformations Camp program in 2014 in response to a growing request for support with self-esteem and identity issues from young women of color. The camp provides workshops on what to do when bullied, how to celebrate personal uniqueness, what a healthy relationship looks like, healthy discussions about body image, and how to resolve conflict. Transformations Camp provides young women with a chance to develop lasting connections with their cohort members and is a springboard for leadership opportunities moving forward.

RACIAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY-LONG HISTORY OF THE YWCA, WE HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT NOT ALL WOMEN, OR PEOPLE, HAVE BEEN TREATED EQUALLY. In the 1940’s the YWCA provided key leadership in both the women’s and civil rights movements and in 1970 updated its bylaws to include the imperative that “as an organization we will thrust our collective power toward the elimination of racism wherever it exists.”

YWCA’S ANNUAL COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION Each year, the YWCA Spokane hosts a public event that engages in open and honest dialogue to confront stereotypes and bias as a community and to learn what we can do about it as individuals and as a collective.

As the needs of women and communities evolve over time, so will the work of the YWCA Spokane. We will continue to work on creating safety, security, and economic and racial justice for everyone.

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EDUCATION & OUTREACH CONNECTING WITH AND CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY Each year, the YWCA Spokane reaches out to almost 3000 community members through tabling events, speaking engagements, and training to educate and spread awareness in our community about domestic violence, racial and social justice inequalities, educational opportunities, and meaningful resources for women, youth, and children.

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COMMUNITY SUPPORT WE COULDN’T DO THIS WORK WITHOUT YOU!

VOLUNTEERISM

Over 400 dedicated community members volunteer 12,000 hours of their time, energy, skills, and resources to the YWCA of Spokane each year by conducting necessity drives, facilitating classes, working in the computer lab, reading to children, participating on committees, and helping with events.

IN-KIND DONATIONS

Each year we rely on $200,000 worth of much needed community donations to support our domestic violence safe shelter and housing programs, Our Sister’s Closet free clothing boutique, the job readiness program, and children’s services. 14

1000 VISIONARY 1000WOMEN VISIONARY WOMEN OUR GOAL

Create a legacy of visionary women who choose to be: pioneers in supporting other women in need; leaders who want to create safety and empowerment for all women, children, and families in our community; trailblazers who see the critical impact their generous investment has on the women and children we serve.

Uniting 1000 Visionary Women together who are passionate about eliminating racism, empowering women, standing up for social justice, helping families, and strengthening communities.

VISIONARY IMPACT To ensure we meet the dynamic needs of families who enter our doors experiencing domestic violence, homelessness and unemployment, we are seeking 1000 visionary women who are committed to an annual contribution of $1000 or more.

SUSTAINABLE LEGACY

A generous gift of $84 a month will allow the YWCA Spokane to build on over a century of meeting the needs of women, while at the same time expanding critical programs and creating transformative change for the women and children we serve. With your help, our foundation will be stronger, our reach further, and our impact greater. Through your commitment to women and children in crisis, you will create pathways to safety, stability, and hope.

COMMUNITY AWARENESS & RAISING FUNDS

LITTLE BLACK DRESS SOCIETY SPRING FLING BRUNCH

The YWCA Spokane’s annual spring silent auction and champagne brunch brings together new and old friends to raise awareness and support for Spokane’s women and children.

Little Black Dress (LBD) is a dedicated group of amazing women who, while enjoying each other’s company during a girls night out, also generate important financial support to help ensure all women in our community have access to the support and services that help them heal, grow, and thrive.

An Evening In

TUSCANY

AN EVENING IN TUSCANY

Each year, local Chef Gina Lanza creates her famous Italian dinner at this Tuscan themed, summer evening fundraiser. All proceeds from the dinner and silent auction benefit the women and children utilizing the YWCA Spokane’s domestic violence support services.

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IMPACT LUNCHEON

For over 30 years, the YWCA Spokane has celebrated high achieving women in the community at this annual luncheon. Established with the goal of increasing community awareness and appreciation for the diverse contributions of women leaders in Spokane, this luncheon has honored more than 200 women in the region.

Transforming the future by making a difference in the lives of children and families. ywca Spokane 930 N Monroe St Spokane, WA 99201 www.ywcaspokane.org 509.326.1190 24hr Helpline: 509.326.2255 (CALL)

SPOKANE