
Downtown Women's Center
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The Skid Row community has a concentration of poverty unlike any other in the developed world. For women, homelessness is especially devastating, as women are targeted in assaults and attacks, and their entrance into homelessness often stems from fleeing domestic and interpersonal violence. DWC’s mission is to provide permanent supportive housing and a safe and healthy community fostering dignity, respect, and personal stability, and to advocate ending homelessness for women. Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, DWC remains the only local organization in Los Angeles that is exclusively dedicated to addressing the immediate and long-term needs of women overcoming homelessness and poverty in Skid Row. In 1978, DWC opened Los Angeles' first drop-in Day Center for homeless women; eight years later, we launched the nation's first permanent supportive housing program for women. We have since become a nationally recognized model and continue to develop innovative programs to strategically meet our target population's wide range of needs. In 2010, after completing a $35-million capital campaign, DWC opened its second location on San Pedro Street. With the expansion, DWC tripled its impact, increasing to 119 on-site housing placements, opening a Women’s Health Center, and launching our Job Readiness and Supportive Employment program and social enterprise, MADE by DWC. This year, we anticipate placing 192 women with histories of homelessness in Community-Based Housing.
Mission Focus:
Target Population:
Organization Size:
Medium: 2-10M USD Coverage Area:
Skid Row, Los Angeles, CA, USA | Languages:
English |SpanishYear Established
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