Women In Distress’ New Supportive Transitional Housing Plan

Women In Distress’ (WID) new supportive transitional housing facility will provide housing units for survivors of domestic violence who are working through a myriad of issues related to establishing a new life free from abuse.

Women In Distress’ emergency shelter necessarily limits emergency housing to three months, this beautiful new facility will be available for survivors for up to two years. Survivors will live in a safe and secure apartment community while continuing to engage with on-site therapists and advocates and other resources. In order to be truly independent, survivors must find employment, as financial independence will be a necessity for a life free from abuse.

While survivors staying in WID’s new transitional housing units will live with autonomy, they will be actively working a plan to establish self-sufficiency. This Includes paying rent (with a steadily declining subsidy), cooking, laundry – all the skills and necessities of an autonomous life. Survivors will be offered on-site and remote services including job training, resume writing, credit and personal finance education, therapeutic services, and other needed domestic violence support services. The supportive transitional housing complex will also include space for support staff, playground for children, laundry facilities, and appropriate areas for online workers.

Our Project, Our Campaign, Our Dream

For the last 50 years, Women In Distress has developed long-lasting partnerships with donors and community organizations to help serve victims of domestic violence. To meet the needs of its current and future clients, WID is embarking upon a capital campaign to raise funds for a transitional housing facility and programming that helps its clients build a sustainable future.

WID will acquire multi-unit apartment style buildings in Broward County and remodel them to accommodate victims and their families who are transitioning out of its emergency shelter. These new facilities will house various programs to help families move toward independence.

These facilities will help Women In Distress serve hundreds of survivors every year providing much of what they need to end their experience with domestic violence and create a new life free from abuse. Operational costs to sustain programming will be supported by grants from government partners and gradually increasing rent from the participants residing in the facility. Maintenance costs will be covered by the endowment fund created during the campaign.  WID has developed an ongoing plan for sustainability that will not create a drain on resources allocated to its current operation.

To fund this project, WID has launched a $15 million campaign

Why Now?

It seems that the affordable housing crisis in South Florida is an almost ubiquitous topic and impacts everyone in our community. The issue is so pervasive that we can become almost numb to it. Yet, solutions are few. We at WID can’t solve the housing crisis in South Florida, but our agency is resolute in that we must do what we can to assist the victims we serve – some of the most vulnerable members of our community!

Knowing that one of the most frequently cited reasons that domestic violence victims return to their abusers is financial dependence – including, in particular, safe housing – we know that temporary emergency shelter is not enough. Victims need a longer period of time to establish a life free of their abuser and navigate the difficult South Florida housing environment.

To request a meeting and a tour, please contact:

Linda L. Parker, Ph.D., President & CEO • 954-760-9800 x1032 • lparker@womenindistress.org
Jeffrey Metcalf, Chief Development Officer • 954-760-9800 x1280 • jmetcalf@womenindistress.org
Michael Barron, Director of Major and Planned Gifts • mbarron@womenindistress.org