A Word from Mark
Dear Friends of WTLC,

It's PRIDE Month!

The month of June was chosen for Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which happened in the late '60s. Since then, Pride festivals have become special occasions for folks to be proud and to celebrate the progress the LGBTQ community has made. It's also a time to reflect and recognize the distance we still have to go to achieve full equality.

Through countless studies, we know that domestic violence occurs in the LGBTQ community with the same--and in some cases higher--frequency as cisgender, heterosexual couples. However, our society's long history of deep racism, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia have prevented LGBTQ and other minority survivors from seeking help from service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other systems of support.

In fact, there are still places like North Carolina that exclude same-sex survivors of domestic violence from legal protections under current laws; and just this past week, a change has been proposed to the 2012 Equal Access Rule that would allow HUD-funded shelters to refuse services to transgender individuals or disregard their gender identities when determining shelter placements.

With this understanding, we believe that we must be responsive to the needs of everyone in the community who may need our services, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting survivors of all gender identities and sexual orientations throughout our programs.

Specifically, we provide:

  • Safe shelter and housing that respects each survivor's gender identity and sexual orientation
  • Legal support for name and gender changes
  • Individualized therapeutic counseling and safety planning
  • Connections to other LGBTQ community resources

If you or someone you know has been affected by violence, please contact us. We are here 24/7.

With Appreciation,

Mark
A Family Reunited
The doorbell rang and two happy, boisterous young boys came running into the office. It was Katie's last counseling session at WTLC, and she wanted her Clinical Advocate to meet her children. Both boys gave a big smile and ran back to their mother, hugging her legs. This was the first time Katie would need childcare during her session. The boys were led to the children’s room and cheerfully scoped out the toy selection. Katie and her Advocate proceeded to the therapy room, sat down, and took a deep breath together.

In that moment, all of Katie's hard work had paid off.
The ACEs Study
It probably won't surprise you to learn that we all carry our childhood experiences with us throughout our lives. What might surprise you is the extent to which this is true--just how much a negative childhood experience can affect your mental, physical, and emotional health even years after the event itself.

This was the focus of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study--a retrospective study that examined the links between traumatic childhood experiences and current adult health and well-being. The ACEs Study focused on occurrences of adverse childhood experiences including exposure to emotional/physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional/physical neglect, and examined how these factors affected long-term adult mental and physical health.
A special thank you to the California Office of Emergency Services for funding renovations to our Children's Room that ensure every child who comes through our doors feels safe, comfortable, and welcome while in our program.
This Mother's Day, our community came together to celebrate all the moms in WTLC's Bridge Housing Program with a shopping spree and self care day.

A big thank you to Nothing Bundt Cakes, Comfort Day Spa, Pinot's Pallette, Roadkill Ranch & Boutique, Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, Patty's Cakes and Desserts, Hapa Cupcakes and Cakes, Salon Amerige, The Cheesecake Factory, and 2nd Avenue for making sure all the moms in shelter felt special and appreciated this Mother's Day.
Grab your clubs and join us !
Join us for a day of golf on June 12th at RDM General Contractors' 6th Annual Golf Tournament! All proceeds support WTLC and our mission of helping individuals and families escape the depths of domestic violence and exploitation.

The last day to register is June 1st, so don't miss out!
Programs & Services

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