Women Against Abuse Inc

The women against abuse legal center is one of the nation's first legal aid programs dedicated to the needs of victims of domestic violence. The organization empowers women and men who have been abused to navigate the justice system by providing attorney representation, court advocacy and telephone counseling. Attorneys represent victims seeking protection from abuse orders, child custody and/or support. Last year, this program in conjunction with the affiliated women against abuse legal center, inc. Served 3,028 people. In addition to its direct services, the legal center is also highly engaged in systems change work that will improve philadelphia's response to domestic violence by ensuring effective screening and intervention for victims, while holding perpetrators accountable and offering them alternatives to violence.

Women against abuse ensures that survivors are not forced to return to abusive relationships due to financial or housing instability through the sojourner house and safe at home programs. Sojourner house is an 18-month transitional housing program of 15 apartment units. Residents benefit from on-site services such as case management, child care, behavioral health services, life-skills development, educational and employment opportunities, and housing options counseling. In fiscal year 2024, 55 adults and children received housing and support services at sojourner house.the safe at home program provides community-based case management, paired with housing assistance, to empower survivors to sustain their independence from an abusive partner. The program supports survivors of domestic violence to maintain safe and affordable housing while developing financial literacy and life-skills for long-term self-sufficiency. The safe at home program also aims to strengthen linkages between clients and community supports. The 122 people who benefitted from this program in fiscal year 2024 are better positioned to sustain safe housing and overcome obstacles that may compromise their families' long-term safety and stability. Economic empowerment programming:recognizing that many of the organization's clients have experienced financial abuse, women against abuse has embedded economic empowerment programming into its transitional housing and safe at home programs. The goal of this programming is to increase awareness of economic opportunities among survivors and equip clients to achieve their unique education and career goals, so that they can remain safe and thrive. The economic empowerment team is leveraging meaningful community partnerships with providers in the fields of housing, medical, behavioral health, educational and workforce development. An aspire alliance mentorship program pairs survivors with professionals from various fields. Mentors and mentees meet on a regular basis to support career goals and growth.

Prevention: women against abuse also works to prevent domestic violence through community education and systems-change work. The organization provides safer (safety awareness for every relationship), a teen dating violence prevention curriculum that is empowering young people in local schools, to pursue healthy relationships and break intergenerational cycles of domestic violence. In addition, women against abuse's community educators train hundreds of first responders, law enforcement and a variety of social service professionals each year on the dynamics of domestic violence to enhance survivor safety. Lastly, women against abuse hosted its 16th annual ipledge campaign for domestic violence awareness month in october 2023. The 2023 campaign, the power to heal, shone a light on the intersection of intimate partner violence and gun violence. Hundreds of community members, survivors and change-makers - including city of philadelphia former mayor jim kenney - joined in this city-wide initiative that calls on the community to take a stand against domestic violence. More than 6,000 people have signed women against abuse's pledge against violence through this campaign.systems-change work: in addition to these direct services, women against abuse leads the struggle to end domestic violence by advocating on behalf of survivors and the programs that serve them. The policy department participates in the legislative process at all levels of government with the goal of influencing policy that impacts survivors of domestic violence and their families. In addition to legislative advocacy, women against abuse works to eliminate barriers to care for survivors who are accessing services throughout the city. Women against abuse became the first philadelphia nonprofit to receive the prestigious lipman family prize from the university of pennsylvania for its leadership in pioneering shared safety: philadelphia's coordinated community response to relational violence. Through shared safety, dozens of victim service providers and city systems are working together to a transform philadelphia's response to domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and reproductive coercion. Through shared safety's advocacy, former mayor kenney created a first-of-its-kind office of domestic violence strategies to coordinate and improve philadelphia's response to relational violence, and appointed women against abuse's former prevention director to oversee this work.