Mission Moments
What is CSO Advocacy? For some survivors of domestic violence, the Department of Social Health Services (DSHS) is their first stop while trying to find support for their situation. “It can be hard to navigate these systems for a lot of clients,” says M.E. Martin, YWCA Spokane CSO Advocate. “Many…
More
The Complexities of Domestic Violence Protection Orders Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) are legal tools designed to offer safety to individuals experiencing domestic violence. While the intention is to offer protection, the legal process can leave survivors feeling disheartened and vulnerable. Understanding these challenges is crucial for anyone navigating the…
More
Understanding the Issue In recent years, efforts to address domestic violence have increasingly focused on a critical aspect of safety: removing firearms from perpetrators. The presence of a firearm in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide for women by 500%. On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court…
More
About The Women’s Opportunity Center (WOC) offers a safe, supportive, and confidential environment for survivors of trauma so they can rest, recover, and rebuild. These learning opportunities are designed to foster healing after trauma while nurturing a supportive community. All of these groups and classes are provided at absolutely no…
More
About YWCA Spokane’s Safe Shelter is an emergency shelter service for survivors in the Spokane and surrounding area who are fleeing imminent danger from abusive intimate partners. In 2023, our Safe Shelter served 130 adults and 118 dependents. Additionally, 85 adults and 95 dependents were accommodated with a hotel room.…
More
About YWCA Spokane’s Racial and Social (RSJ) Learning Community is an intentional space for courageous conversations about systemic issues that impact our community. Together, community members and YWCA Staff & Board can learn what to do with our awareness and how to create change. Explore our racial and social justice…
More
The Role of Parents in ECEAP ECEAP (pronounced e-cap) stands for Early Childhood Education Assistant Program. YWCA Spokane’s ECEAP teaches important life skills and wraps the entire family in holistic care. We know that supporting parents, caregivers, and the entire family helps create an environment that sets children up for…
More
About Our Sister’s Closet Our Sister’s Closet (OSC) is a free boutique of women’s clothing and necessities. It is available to anyone in the community who could benefit from this resource regardless of gender; clients do not have to prove income level or identify as survivors of intimate partner violence…
More
About Mobile Housing Advocacy Everyone deserves safe and stable housing. The housing system is a complex and confusing process with resources and options that are always changing. YWCA Spokane Mobile Housing Advocates are a truly mobile team and meet clients out in the community. They help survivors of intimate partner…
More
About DV Support Advocacy YWCA Spokane’s Domestic Violence Support Advocacy creates a welcoming and nonjudgmental space for survivors to unpack the complexities of their situation and feel heard. Through the intake process, Support Advocates listen to what the survivor’s current needs are and offer options. A component of this first…
More
About Community Engagement At YWCA Spokane, we may be best known for providing crisis support to survivors of intimate partner domestic violence (IPDV). While these types of services are a percentage of what we do, we offer the community much more. A key aspect of our community outreach is training…
More
About ECEAP ECEAP (pronounced e-cap) stands for Early Childhood Education Assistant Program. At its core, ECEAP is free preschool for qualifying families, focusing on kindergarten readiness. YWCA Spokane’s ECEAP does more than prepare kids for school; it teaches important life skills and wraps the entire family in holistic care. “We’re…
More
Fostering Community at YWCA Safe Shelter It would be hard to talk about YWCA Spokane’s Safe Shelter without talking to Melanie Wilson, Shelter Resource Coordinator, who has been with the agency for over 22 years. When Melanie first started with the agency, she was providing childcare at the shelter. She…
More
About Safe Haven YWCA Spokane’s Safe Haven is an on-site classroom that gives kids a space to be kids, while their parents and caregivers access our free programs and services. Safe Haven is a free service open to youth from 6 weeks to 12 years old. Our classroom is stocked…
More
About Our Racial & Social Justice (RSJ) Work YWCA agencies across the nation are on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We share this one mission because we know racial and gender equity is inextricably linked. “The racial and…
More
About Our Therapy At YWCA Spokane, our Mental Health Therapy program specializes in short-term, trauma processing forms of therapy. “There are different types of therapies for different types of situations,” explains Melva Moore, Director of Mental Health Services, “But what we do best is focus on helping people process their…
More
About Our Legal Services Interacting with the legal system is a complicated and lengthy undertaking for anyone. The process often takes completing a stack of paperwork and then knowing how to proceed from there. At YWCA Spokane, those served by our legal services are survivors of intimate partner domestic violence…
More
PURPOSE YWCA Spokane’s Women’s Opportunity Center (WOC) offers a safe space for survivors of domestic violence to recover from trauma, explore economic growth, and build stability into their lives. WOC offers holistic, restorative services for those impacted by trauma. These groups and classes are aimed at supporting healing, wellness and…
More
Purpose At its core, violence prevention is about ending cycles of abuse. YWCA Spokane’s prevention efforts focus on doing this with teens by “Holding space to have conversations with teenagers about relationships that they don’t normally have with adults in their lives,” according to Lizbeth Reyes, Prevention Coordinator. She sees…
More
Purpose Our Sister’s Closet (OSC) is YWCA Spokane’s free boutique of women’s clothing that is available to anyone in the community who expresses a need. All of the clothing and necessities are generously donated to YWCA by the community. Impact For some of our clients, shopping the closet is the…
More