Women's Advocates

Women’s Advocates was founded in 1974 as the first shelter in the nation for victim-survivors of domestic violence. Our mission is to walk with victim-survivors and our community to break the cycle of domestic violence. Using the tools of radical hospitality, advocacy, and collective action, we envision a community free from violence, where all are safe and can live productive, healthy lives. Our work creates a continuum of safety for victim-survivors that extends beyond our shelter services.

In addition to the healing space we provide in shelter, this continuum includes violence prevention work online and in the community through our outreach and education programming, and intensive housing advocacy and rental supports for victim-survivors leaving shelter through our housing and aftercare program. A goal of this continuum is to ensure that domestic violence-related homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring by creating avenues to safety and stability before and after crises.