The Need

WC&S celebrated a significant milestone, our 40th anniversary, in 2014. Over the course of this rich 40-year history, WC&S has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and their children and saved the lives of many who otherwise would not have survived. Exceptional volunteers, corporations and organizations, a strong and growing individual donor base, the local foundation community, a dedicated staff and a relentless commitment to improving the lives of women and children have influenced the trajectory to move forward and to become better at what we do.

Last year, WC&S served 6,508 individuals through all programs and services. By program, WC&S answered 5,263 hotline calls, served 3,881 legal advocacy clients, sheltered 259 women and 248 children, cared for 292 children in the children's program, provided crisis intervention to 149 medical advocacy clients, counseled 285 clients in a support groups and individual counseling, and delivered legal representation to 339 civil law project clients.

Unfortunately, an additional 755 women and children were turned away from shelter due to a lack of space. These victims of intimate partner violence and their children were turned away because all 36 beds were full, and someone was already sleeping on the sofa in each of the group rooms. Over the past six years, WC&S has been forced to turn away thousands of intimate partner violence victims.

It is known that 73 percent of domestic violence fatalities occur when the victim attempts to leave the relationship or after the relationship has ended. When no beds are available, WC&S always try to find alternative arrangements. Tragically, that isn't always possible.

In December 2013, WC&S partnered with the City of Pittsburgh police to implement the Maryland Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). Police called to the site of a domestic disturbance ask the victim a series of questions to assess whether they are in immediate danger. The police officer then calls WC&S on behalf of the victim. LAP has proven to be a life-saving program. WC&S is dedicated to the Lethality Assessment Project even though it has increased the need to shelter even more victims.

More than twenty years ago Women's Center purchased and renovated its current facility. The useful life of the roof, heating and cooling systems have expired and the plumbing is literally disintegrating. In addition to these basic life essentials, the Facility renovations will help ensure that WC&S is able to meet the growing demand for services and thereby fulfill its mission to advance the safety and well-being of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and prevent and respond to IPV through social change. Once connected to WC&S, victims of IPV and their children have access to the specialized, trauma-informed care necessary to begin the healing process. In addition to core services such as the 24-Hour Hotline and Emergency Shelter, victims may take advantage of supportive services such as legal and medical advocacy, support groups, and for children, children's programming designed to help children cope with the harmful effects of witnessing violence.

People are talking about domestic violence now more than ever before. It's been permeating the news, in large part because of several high-profile recent incidents. The issue has grabbed people's attention, shining a spotlight on an often private problem that happens every day, in every culture and in every part of society. Spreading awareness and educating the public is an important piece of the work that needs to be done. Raised awareness increases the existing need for domestic violence programs and services. This clear and substantial need is reflected in the daunting current statistics:

• Three women are killed every day in the United States by a current or former intimate partner. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the United States).
  
  
• Each year, 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
  
  
• One in five men in a nationally representative sample report being perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). That is, one in five men is willing to admit on a survey they have acted abusively toward a partner (University of Michigan).

While victims suffer the greatest, domestic violence hurts us all. Each year, companies incur significant cost as a result of partner violence. These costs include:

Productivity Loss

More than 1 in 5 full-time workers have been victims of partner violence.
64% of victims have indicated their work performance was significantly impacted.

Decline in productivity because of:

• distraction at work (57%),
  
• fear of discovery (45%),
  
• harassment by the partner at work (either by phone or in person) (40%),
  
• fear that the abusive partner will show up at work (34%),
  
• inability to complete assignments on time (24%), and
  
• job loss (21%).

Healthcare Costs

The health-related costs to employers of rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year.
Over $7.9 million paid workdays are lost each year due to violence against women.

Workplace Safety

94% of corporate security directors rank partner violence as a high security problem.
25% of workplace violence events nationally are related to partner violence.

Even though the statistics are staggering, there is tremendous hope.

Fortunately, connecting to a domestic violence program is the single most important factor in reducing intimate partner violence fatalities, injury and re-assaults. As such, it is imperative that WC&S enhances its capacity to meet the demand for service.

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