Women's Resource Center

Women's Resource Center's program goal is to bring about a reduction in the incidence and impact of gender-based violence now and in the future. This is the core principle on which the agency has operated for 45 years and why the program exists. Since its inception, WRC has been committed to: 1) preventing the recurrence of violence in families who have experienced domestic violence; 2) ensuring children exposed to domestic violence receive essential services to reduce the harmful effects of violence; and, 3) fostering healthy relationships and healthy families.

The primary strategies Women's Resource Center relies on to attain the agency's goal related to the reduction and elimination of gender-based violence include: 1) crisis intervention to address the immediate circumstances survivors face; 2) supportive services and case management for survivors to utilize to plan for safe, non-violent, and successful futures; 3) emergency housing to provide temporary safe refuge; 4) counseling for victims, children, and perpetrators to expand their awareness and understanding to build violence-free futures; and, 5) prevention education to stem domestic violence in the next generation.

Recognizing that domestic violence has no single cause of simple solution, WRC programs include: a domestic violence shelter where victims and their children can find temporary safe haven; crisis intervention services to provide support and plan for the next step; information and referral to other resources to meet the diverse individual needs of the family; counseling for victims to expand their awareness and recognize their own power to take control of their lives and situations; a full service drop-in center for families to turn to for help during regular business hours; a 52-week, court-approved treatment program for abusers to reduce future domestic violence; a counseling program especially designed for the children of violent homes to lessen their feelings of responsibility and guilt; a two-year transitional housing program where families can build a self-sufficient future; a comprehensive prevention education program for high school students to stem domestic violence in future generation; and a 24-hour crisis hotline to assure immediate access to services.

Since 1974, WRC has served over 247,800 families, provided over 679,700 nights of safe shelter, and answered more than 59,500 crisis hotline calls. In the last year (July 2018 to September 2019), WRC has served 396 survivors of sexual assault, 2,739 survivors of domestic violence, and 688 children and youth who have been impacted by violence. In the same time period, WRC provided 5,603 counseling sessions to adults, 647 children’s counseling sessions, responded to 5,122 hotline calls, provided 2,001 people with emergency services, housed 84 survivors and children in our transitional housing, and provided 6,835 nights of safe shelter to 586 survivors and children -- all free of charge.

Each family that has completed the 2-year program has gone on to stable permanent housing. In addition, each family we have served has been able to improve their net income by the end of their two-year stay. With our transitional housing program, we have seen clear, demonstrable success. We seek to continue bettering the lives and futures of our clients and their children by offering not only a safe home, but also the tools they need for long-term success.