TRANFORMATION STORIES
Shelly - Women’s Renaissance
“My husband held a loaded gun to my face and asked, ‘Do you want to die?’,” says Shelly, recalling the traumatic night.
Women’s Renaissance
Early victimization, family instability and domestic violence causes a battered self-esteem in many young girls and women and often leads them into a life of prostitution, heavy drug use, poor health habits, and incarceration. The population of women living on the streets unfortunately keeps increasing, and is up to 30% in downtown Los Angeles. Once on the streets, females are among the most vulnerable of all homeless individuals-- they are subject to even more violence and victimization, which typically exacerbates their problems with alcohol and substance abuse, mental health issues, and criminal activity, and makes it harder to break the cycle of homelessness.
While sharing some of the same needs as homeless men, homeless women require specialized supportive services to help them increase their self-confidence, address patterns of poor decision making, deal with the separation from their children, and develop life skills and coping mechanisms.
Our Women’s Renaissance program empowers homeless women to lead self-sufficient lives by providing them with a direct link to shelter, education and employment opportunities. As the only residential program at the Weingart Center Association that is designed specifically for females, Women’s Renaissance offers literacy and basic skills training plus job development and placement services to enhance women’s earning potential.
Stressing the importance of attaining personal employment goals and the benefits of maintaining employment, Women’s Renaissance gives program participants the opportunity to train and enter into a growing job industry while receiving transitional housing and having access to a savings account and supportive services. Women’s Renaissance is a 12-month workforce development program that includes:
- Transitional housing with nutritious meals
- Case management
- Basic education and computer literacy
- Job development, placement assistance and retention support
- Life skills and money management
- Substance abuse supportive services
- Community referrals
- And more…
Basic Necessities
We provide basic necessities — transitional housing, meals, clothing, laundry and toiletries, and even voicemail and mail drop — so our participants can transform their lives and focus on their future goals.
Case Management
Case managers prepare an initial needs-assessment for each participant based on physical, mental, emotional and social services needs, skill and literacy level, and substance abuse status. Case managers then work closely with participants to develop individual goals and objectives, make the appropriate referrals and follow up to assure delivery of services, and work on family reunification.
Education
Our participants receive an initial educational, vocational and personality assessment which is then used to establish goals and determine educational needs.
In addition to the classroom and individual teaching sessions, participants have access to an on-site learning lab with computer stations that are used for self-paced instruction and online tutorials.
Workforce Development
Women’s Renaissance requires all participants to ready themselves for employment by completing courses in the areas of: social skills, decision making, employability, money management, transportation, health, basic law, family responsibilities and telephone skills. Each course includes group discussions and lessons that address specific aspects or issues related to that skill set.
Our skilled staff works with participants to match interests with current and future abilities and identify the correct work environment for each participant. Based on this assessment, participants develop their skills within one of three entry-level target employment areas: construction, food services, and customer service, with additional vocational tracks coming soon. These three areas were selected because they do not require more than a high school degree and are growing sectors in our city.
Pre- and Post-Employment Placement
The Women’s Renaissance Job Specialists and Job Developers identify and track new job leads, facilitate employment referrals, and work closely with prospective employers to identify the best possible match for our participants. This process establishes WCA employment personnel as a liaison to ensure retention in the workplace.
For participants who already have a work history, we help them get back into the workforce, and for others we help them increase their skill-set to obtain a higher-paying and more fulfilling job.
We give our participants appropriate attire from our onsite clothing boutique for going on job interviews and starting work while access to a phone bank allows participants to connect with perspective employers.
Once employed, participants are required to save 75% of their income for use when transitioning into permanent housing and living on their own. In addition, follow-up services by our staff, including on-the-job site visits occurring for up to six months, ensure that the employer and new employee are both satisfied in their work arrangement, which results in long-term success for our participants.
In Partnership
Women’s Renaissance operates in partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
