Downtown Womens Center

HOUSING FORMERLY HOMELESS WOMEN, PROVIDING MEALS, COUNSELING & SUPPORTIVE SVCS FOR WOMEN IN POVERTY.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS:WE RECOGNIZE HOMELESSNESS AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. UNDERSTANDING THE COMPOUNDING CHALLENGES OF HOMELESSNESS AND POOR HEALTH, WE TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WOMEN'S WELLNESS.WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER:OUR WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER IS AN ON-SITE CLINIC JOINTLY RUN WITH LOCAL PARTNER JWCH, THROUGH WHICH WE PROVIDE BASIC MEDICAL CARE, MAMMOGRAM AND HIV SCREENINGS, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS. OUR EXCEPTIONALLY TRAINED STAFF FOCUSES ON PREVENTIVE CARE TO REDUCE DIABETES, OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, AND OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES. WE SUPPLEMENT OUR CLINIC OFFERINGS WITH PSYCHIATRIC SESSIONS, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, AND GROUP THERAPY, AS WELL AS SELF-CARE AND HEALTH EDUCATION WORKSHOPS, FITNESS CLASSES, AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES. IN 2021, DWC PROVIDED MORE THAN 1,020 WOMEN WITH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.IN 2021, DWC PROVIDED 1,644 CASE MANAGEMENT SESSIONS TO ENSURE THAT EACH WOMAN HAS AN INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE PLAN TAILORED TO HER NEEDS. DWC OFFERED BASIC MEDICAL CARE, MAMMOGRAMS, AND WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES, HIV SCREENINGS, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS THROUGH VISITS AT SKID ROW'S ONLY WOMEN'S MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CENTER. TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER:OUR LOS ANGELES TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER WAS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PEACE OVER VIOLENCE, AND OFFERS SURVIVORS OF VIOLENT CRIME EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, INFORMATION, COMPASSION, ACCOMPANIMENT, REFERRAL, AND ADVOCACY SERVICES. WITH A COMBINED 75 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, DWC AND PEACE OVER VIOLENCE PROVIDE ASSISTANCE APPLYING TO VICTIM COMPENSATION, REFERRALS FOR FOOD, SHELTER, AND HOUSING SERVICES, MEDICATION SUPPORT SERVICES AND ACCESS TO THERAPY, COMMUNITY TRAININGS, AND MORE. THE TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER IS SUPPORTED BY THE CALIFORNIA VICTIM COMPENSATION AND GOVERNMENT CLAIMS BOARD, AND IS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. DAY CENTER:DWC'S DAY CENTER IS THE ENTRY POINT FOR OUR WOMEN-CENTERED SERVICES AND THE HUB OF OUR HEALTHY COMMUNITY. IT PROVIDES A SAFE SPACE FOR WOMEN IN THE HEART OF THE SKID ROW NEIGHBORHOOD IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. WOMEN WHO COME THROUGH OUR DOORS HAVE ACCESS TO 3 NUTRITIOUS MEALS DAILY, CLEAN BATHROOMS AND SHOWERS AND CHANGES OF CLOTHES. DAY CENTER CASE MANAGERS CAN ALSO LINK WOMEN TO HEALTHCARE, LEGAL AID, TRANSPORTATION, JOB TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, AS WELL AS WORK PLACEMENTS AND OTHER RESOURCES.IN 2021, THE FOLLOWING MILESTONES WERE ACHIEVED, DWC- PROVIDED OVER 206,000 NUTRITIOUS MEALS TO THOSE IN NEED.- CREATED A SAFE SPACE FOR 3,679 WOMEN.- SURPASSED 5,900 ANNUAL VOLUNTEER HOURS AND 2,200 VOLUNTEERS. WE'REOPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 6AM-4PM, AND SATURDAY-SUNDAY FROM 7AM-3PM.- PROVIDED TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTER SERVICES TO 183 WOMEN.- PROVIDED MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS TO 375 WOMEN.

HOUSING:USING THE HOUSING FIRST MODEL, DWC PROVIDES 119 UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR SINGLE UNACCOMPANIED WOMEN ACROSS OUR TWO RESIDENCES IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS COMFORTABLE, SAFE, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITHOUT TIME LIMITS. EACH WOMAN HAS ACCESS TO ON-SITE INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT AND SERVICES SHE NEEDS NOT JUST TO END HER STRUGGLE WITH HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO TO THRIVE IN PERMANENT HOUSING AND WORK TOWARD ACHIEVING HER GOALS.COMMUNITY-BASED HOUSING:DWC'S COMMUNITY-BASED HOUSING PROGRAM CONNECTS SINGLE UNACCOMPANIED WOMEN AND WOMEN WITH CHILDREN TO PERMANENT HOUSING AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY. DWC OFFERS RAPID RE-HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO ANY WOMAN NEEDING HOUSING, PARTICULARLY FOR WOMEN ESCAPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TO CONNECT THEM WITH SAFE, PERMANENT HOUSING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND SUPPORT FOR WOMEN VETERANS THROUGH HOUSING VOUCHERS, MOVE-IN ASSISTANCE, TRAUMA RECOVERY RESOURCES, AND HELP NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR VETERAN BENEFITS.WOMEN'S HEALTH CLINIC:IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JWCH, DWC'S WOMEN'S HEALTH CLINIC-THE ONLY WOMEN-SPECIFIC HEALTH CLINIC IN SKID ROW-PROVIDES PRIMARY CARE, STD AND HIV TESTING, TUBERCULOSIS AND CANCER SCREENINGS, VACCINATIONS, MAMMOGRAMS, AND PHYSICAL AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS. DWC ALSO PROVIDES SELF-CARE AND HEALTH EDUCATION WORKSHOPS, FITNESS CLASSES, AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES.

EDUCATION & JOB READINESS:WOMEN LIVING IN SKID ROW FACE MANY BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT. DWC'S EDUCATION AND JOB READINESS RESOURCES AIM TO BREAK THE CYCLES OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND HOMELESSNESS FOR WOMEN.EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION:DWC PROVIDES CLASSES IN COMPUTER SKILLS, LITERACY AND MATH, ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL COUNSELING SESSIONS, JOB READINESS PREPARATION, AND EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT SERVICES. MADE BY DWC IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CREATED TO GENERATE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR WOMEN IN THE SKID ROW COMMUNITY. OUR SIGNATURE LINE OF GIFTS IS MADE BY FORMERLY HOMELESS WOMEN, AND 100% OF THE PROCEEDS SUPPORT DWC'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.ENRICHMENTTHROUGH OUR VOLUNTEER-LED WORKSHOPS, WOMEN REBUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE AND LEARN SKILLS LIKE SEWING, PHOTOGRAPHY, CREATIVE WRITING, ACTING, AND MORE. PARTICIPANTS ALSO COLLABORATE WITH STAFF AND COMMUNITY ARTISTS TO DESIGN MADE BY DWC'S SIGNATURE PRODUCT LINE HANDMADE.ENTERPRISEMADE BY DWC IS OUR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE, CREATED TO BREAK THE CYCLES OF CHRONIC UNEMPLOYMENT AND HOMELESSNESS. MADE BY DWC CONSISTS OF THE HANDMADE PRODUCT LINE CREATED BY THE WOMEN OF DWC, AND TWO STORE FRONTS IN DOWNTOWN LA. BY EMPOWERING WOMEN TO DISCOVER TALENTS AND DEVELOP SKILLS THROUGH VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, MADE BY DWC GENERATES ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CAPITAL TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMS.IN 2021, 72 WOMEN WERE PLACED IN EMPLOYMENT.