Emergency Services: Crisis intervention
and advocacy, emergency safety planning, referral
to shelter, emergency food and transportation
Legal Advocacy: On-site at the
Lawrence District Court 5 days weekly and on-call
at the Probate Court providing assistance with temporary
restraining order, referrals to Merrimack Valley Legal
Services and assistance in understanding legal rights
and responsibilities.
Transitional Housing:
OASIS — Nine units of apartments
for families who have been victims of domestic abuse
and are homeless. The program includes vocational
counseling, case management and clinical support groups
for adults and children. Families move to self-sufficiency
within two years.
The Residence — Ten units
of single room occupancy housing for formerly battered
woman who are homeless. Also includes vocational counseling
and case management.
Housing Advocacy: Housing search
assistance, subsidized housing application assistance,
financial planning and employment planning. Revolving
load program for security and utility deposits. A
new collaborative effort of the YWCA, the Merrimack
Valley Safe Start Project, was funded by the state
to link women and their families to micro-loans for
transition to permanent and independent safe housing.
Teen Dating Violence Project:
Special education program and advocacy to teens. A
dedicated liaison to teens works to link teens to
all services of the Domestic Violence Program. In-school
training programs for athletes, leaders and at-risk
youth are provided in the Andover, N. Andover and
Lawrence school systems.
Immigrant Advocacy: Specialized
services for recent immigrants who are victims of
abuse, linking women and families to all services
of the Domestic Violence Program in Partnership with
the International Institute and Holy Family Hospital.
Children's Services: The YWCA
provides technical assistance and collaborative support
to Holy Family Hospital's Family Violence Intervention
Program that provides clinical services to children
who have witnessed or experienced violence.
Nina's Project: A new project
of the Domestic Violence Program which provides training
to medical providers and on-call assistance to medical
institutions and their patients who are victims of
domestic violence. The program is named in memory
of Dr. Nina Scarito, long-time YWCA board member and
local family advocate.
