Dear Friends of
Women’s Advocates,
This past year and a half has been so filled with pressing, tactical decisions that I wasn’t sure our team would ever get a moment to reflect on where we’ve been. But the other day, I was sitting in a meeting with one of our longest serving advocates, and she looked to her colleagues with an encouraging grin and said, “We did this. Women’s Advocates met COVID-19 head on and overcame every challenge that came to us. We are still in this, and stronger because of it.” I was so touched by her passion, the way she held up others, and the hard work that led us to this place. It also reinforced to me that it was time to share the story of the past 18 months with you, our longtime donors and supporters, so you can share in those hardships and victories. Women’s Advocates is still here. We are still walking with victim/survivors and our community to break the cycle of domestic violence. And we are stronger because of all the challenges we’ve faced and because of your support during this unprecedented time.
With gratitude,
Estelle Brouwer | Executive Director
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Finding Safety in
Shelter & Hotels
Women’s Advocates experienced our first COVID-19 case in shelter on March 18, 2020, in the first days of the public emergency. Our staff responded with compassion and professionalism. Later that spring, we made the extraordinary decision to relocate our emergency shelter operation to a local hotel, allowing each family to have their own bedroom and bathroom, and socially distance in ways that aren’t possible in our congregate shelter space. It wasn’t perfect, but we made it work so victim/survivors could have a safe place to find stability and healing. We’ve been back in our building since January, and we’re now nearly at full capacity. None of this was easy, but we learned a lot. Even after we closed down our hotel operation, we continued to partner in the Joint Shelter Hotel Project, a collaboration involving a number of Twin Cities DV shelters, to expand our capacity to meet the needs of victim/survivors struggling to find shelter during the pandemic. We’re working on ways to continue some hotel-based operations in the future to meet this demand.
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10,000+ Trained
in Online Prevention
Brenisen Wheeler had only been in the role of Education and Outreach Coordinator for less than a year when the pandemic completely upended Women’s Advocates usual approach to outreach. In normal times, our outreach activities were conducted in small, in-person groups often in crowded classrooms or around conference tables. The pandemic made this impossible. Tasked with educating the community about recognizing and breaking the cycle of domestic violence, Brenisen went to work adapting that goal to the new tools of the pandemic. She developed an extensive series of live Zoom webinars on topics ranging from Health Relationships to Safety Planning to Supporting Children with Abuse-Related Trauma. As the pandemic wore on, her audience grew. In the last year 7,000 people received online DV prevention training through Brenisen’s program and an additional 3,500 accessed recordings of those trainings. Her reach extended both nationally and internationally in addition to our own community. The program was such a success that we have now expanded Brenisen’s team to ensure we can continue delivering unique web content even as we start considering a return to some in-person trainings.
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Housing is Healing
Join Our Landlord Circle Today
67% of unhoused people in Minnesota are victims of domestic violence.
50% of homeless women in Minnesota stay in abusive situations due to not having other housing options.
You provide safe housing. Women’s Advocates provides support. If you own RENTAL PROPERTIES in St. Paul or the Twin Cities area that accept Section 8 Vouchers, you can help to create a healing home for a victim/survivor and their family. Women’s Advocates provides rental assistance to each of the families we serve in our aftercare program.
Join our Landlord Circle and commit to checking in with Women’s Advocates Housing & Aftercare Team when you have a vacancy.
Contact: Joan Countryman
Phone: 651-726-5202
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We Need Your Support
Now More Than Ever
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, 2020-2021 was our strongest fundraising year ever. So many of you stood up in a time of great need to say our community will not let victim/survivors stay in dangerous situations during this uncertain time. On behalf of the victim/survivors we walk with every day, we thank you. You have made us whole.
Covid-19 is not over. The challenges are still great.
- Evolving guidance on variants change shelter operations daily
- Expansion of virtual prevention technology requires additional staffing
- Quickly moving survivors from shelter to safe and stable housing remains critical
Please consider increasing your donation, becoming a sustaining donor, or creating a planned gift today.
612-638-7518 to renew your commitment to breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Help us raise $100,000 this October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Be on the look out for additional information in your mail for special event details and more!
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