Homeless Women

Being homeless is hard.  People who live on the streets do not have access to even the most basic of human necessities such as food, shelter, clean clothes, and bathing.  Health concerns go unchecked.  Self-confidence plummets even further.   Being a homeless woman is even harder…

Homeless women are among the most vulnerable of all individuals living on the streets.  Just a few homeless days and nights brings additional trauma for women such as being the victims of violence and multiple sexual assaults.  Fear becomes a mainstay in the psyche of many homeless women.  These forgotten females never know when they may have their few remaining possessions stolen, be raped again, or get beat up for refusing the advances of a man on the street.  For many of the women who live on the streets, they are both without a home and without hope.

Like many other cities, Los Angeles has a growing number of homeless women.  Why do women become homeless?  An upbringing of neglect and abuse (mental, physical and/or sexual) breeds low self-esteem which follows these females into adulthood and causes a slew of poor decisions such as engaging  in unprotected sex, abusing drugs and alcohol, and not maintaining stable, legal employment.

Domestic violence is yet another cause of homelessness among females.  Women flee destructive and violent relationships, often with nothing more than the clothing they are wearing, only to find that inadequate housing, limited resources and a stifled job market lead to a life on the streets.  They’ve traded one horrible, degrading situation for another. 

In a secure, caring environment, the Weingart Center's programs for homeless women* boost self-esteem and restore hope.  In addition to receiving the basic necessities, our female participants learn how to modify their behavior, develop coping skills, make good decisions and set attainable goals.  Our staff also provides substance abuse treatment as well as addresses past trauma and any mental health issues.  Our employment services team prepares our participants for work by offering resume creation, interviewing techniques, and job placement assistance. 

When women leave the Weingart Center, they are empowered to live self-sufficiently, they have goals, and they look forward to the future.

* Our Women’s Renaissance program is exclusively for females but all of our programs can assist homeless women.