Downtown Women's Center

Thank you to our California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas @lolasmallwoodcuevas for this recognition!

Shoutout to DWC’s Human Resources department for volunteering their time to support our kitchen team! Your compassion and dedication make a real difference in our community.

Today DWC celebrated the women who have been serving on the Women's Voices Board. Reflections and feedback from Board Members Denise, Maria, Tyana, Liliana, Amiyoko, Tash, Nathalia, and Mayra have led to many new initiatives at DWC. These include self-defense workshops, grief workshops, and more community building events like the return of the birthday guild, movie nights, and a book club. Input from the Women's Voices Board has also improved awareness of and access to clinical services and community meetings. Thank you for your service Women's Voices Board! And special thanks to Jaelynn for supporting the program and planning today's celebration!

Funding for DWC's Every Woman Housed Program, referenced in the @latimes article, enabled 453 women to be placed in permanent housing and 737 into interim housing, which contributed to a 42% drop in unsheltered women from 2022 to 2024! Click the link to read the full article https://lnkd.in/e5M2G-_6

🌞 Beat the Heat with DWC! 🌞 Join our Leadership Council for just $10/month and help provide essential supplies to women in need. Click the link to sign up and make a difference today! https://lnkd.in/eHVSZ_8k #BeatTheHeat #SupportDWC

Last week, ACT-LA @actlosangeles hosted a riveting conversation on Meeting the Moment: Social Housing, where we heard from advocacy partners from Community Land Trusts to City Hall on social housing solutions in Los Angeles.

We got the grant!! 🎉 A huge thank you to @countyofla @lacountyarts for supporting DWC’s Day Center arts workshops. This grant will continue to provide enrichment activities to women and gender-diverse individuals in our Day Center! #LACountyArts

In Los Angeles, where for the first time in six years homelessness has decreased, we know what works. Prioritizing effective programs, in funding and in practice, is what helps people come inside – not widespread clearings and criminalization. We understand and share the Governor’s sense of urgency in addressing our housing crisis, and we appreciate the Governor’s emphasis on funding for housing and homelessness. To address our housing crisis with the compassion that is required to create sustainable solutions, however, we must continue to focus on what service and housing providers have been focused on for years: providing quality, trauma-informed care services and housing.

Thank you to the @ecmcfoundation for supporting DWC's mission to end homelessness for women and gender diverse individuals! DWC was 1 of 111 grantees awarded support through the “Go! Program” to support our workforce development program. Our learning center, employment counselors, and social enterprise @MADEbyDWC can continue providing resources to prepare women for employment. We truly could not do this work without our community! #EndHomelessness #EveryWomanHoused #WorkforceDevelopment

REPOST @redfworks Meet Beth Ann. She brings a sense of hope to those at the Downtown Women's Center (DWC), an organization that serves women and gender diverse individuals experiencing homelessness by providing safe housing and supportive services centered on wellness, employment, and advocacy. At DWC, Beth Ann finds an easy joy in changing someone’s day by extending kindness during a challenging time in their lives. Beth Ann has faced many difficult experiences in her life such as prior gang involvement, incarceration, substance abuse, and domestic violence that led to the loss of her leg and home. “This led to feelings of low self-esteem and self-worth. I thought I had nothing worth living for, and turned to drugs to hide my shame, guilt, and fears,” she shared. It was through a mutual friend that Beth Ann learned about the LA: RISE initiative at the Downtown Women’s Center, a chance to gain paid, on-the-job training in a supportive environment. Because of her life experiences and expertise, this was extremely important to Beth Ann, she wanted to give back by working with the community of individuals at the Downtown Women's Center. “I was most excited about meeting people where they are, finding common ground, and working together in finding out how to meet their needs.” In addition to receiving training and guidance in financial literacy, computer skills, and executive function skills, Beth Ann noted that her interactions with others at DWC gave her a level of confidence she hadn’t previously experienced. Beth Ann is now enrolled in college with big plans for her future. “I plan on majoring in Psychology. I am going to focus on staying in the human services field because of the strong love and compassion I have for others.” We're honored to partner with organizations like the Downtown Women’s Center that work to ensure that people have the resources and community they need to flourish. Go, Beth Ann!