San Francisco

$1M Grant to Provide Domestic Violence Victims Permanent Drop-In Center

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One of San Francisco's longest running resource centers for survivors of domestic violence will now have a permanent drop-in center, thanks to a $1 million grant from the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

La Casa de las Madres has operated its drop-in counseling center for more than 20 years, although the center has moved three times as the program continues to grow and needs more space.

Through the economic and workforce development office's Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, however, the drop-in center will now operate permanently out of 1269 Howard St.

The expansive new space will help La Casa de las Madres continue providing services for women and children affected by domestic violence, without having to deal with the high cost of real estate in the city.

"Each year I hear from nonprofits like La Casa de las Madres whose high rents put their services at risk. With support from my Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, organizations helping women, children and other vulnerable people have secured more than 100,000 square feet of newly nonprofit-owned space to ensure access to their services for years to come,"

Mayor London Breed said in a statement.

"La Casa de las Madres is ending the cycle of domestic violence through crisis response, support services and prevention, and I'm glad the City is able to support them, so they can continue their important work," she said.

"With rents continuing to rise in San Francisco, having the space to support the thousands of survivors of domestic violence each year was becoming increasingly difficult," said La Casa's Executive Director Kathy Black. "With the help of the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, survivors and their children will always have a safe place to turn when they need it most."

In addition to the drop-in center, La Casa also operates a 24-hour emergency shelter, two crisis lines, a text line, and is equipped with advocates within the San Francisco Housing Authority, the San Francisco Police Department's special victims unit, the Mary Elizabeth Inn and some San Francisco Unified School District high schools.

Joaquin Torres, the director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development said, "We are proud to support this acquisition that enables La Casa to stay rooted in the community they serve and provide more life-saving services to survivors escaping the cycle of domestic violence."

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