Dear Friends,

I was thinking back to when I was a child, when time felt like it moved at a snail’s pace. How I waited in anticipation and excitement for the holiday season, which could never arrive soon enough.

Now I feel like the months are fleeting and time is moving at a record pace. As another holiday season approaches, I am once again astonished at how quickly it has arrived. The hustle and bustle of our lives promote speed and efficiency, which leaves little time to slow down and appreciate the moments that impact and form our lives.

As we venture into November - I know, it's almost here! - a month where we think about the things that we are grateful for, I want to pause and take this moment to reflect on what I am grateful for in my life.

I am grateful to have a dynamic board that continues to provide support, a team that is passionate about change and providing services to our participants, and I am grateful for all of you. Whether you're a donor, a volunteer, or you simply like to learn a little more about our work each month, we are thankful for every one of you who has chosen to stand with us in our work to end violence and exploitation in our community.

With appreciation,

Mark

When WTLC was founded in 1976, the response to serving survivors was to have them leave their home and community and enter a shelter in secrecy where they would rebuild their lives and identities. As domestic violence came to the forefront of our societal landscape, extensive research and evaluation was conducted to understand the root causes and needs of survivors.   

Although shelter services are still an essential component to supporting survivors, what we learned was that 44% of survivors in California did not want to have to enter a shelter program in order to have access to services to create a healthier and safer life.  What this communicated was the landscape of response to survivors needed to expand beyond the traditional methodologies established in the 1970’s and incorporate this new approach. 

In 2017, WTLC moved its shelter program and converted the building on Amerige into WTLC’s Center, a place for both survivors in our housing program and those in our community to access the services they need to establish a safe life. Our services now reach over 1,100 survivors in the community a year, a population that was not being served prior to 2017.   

WTLC's transitional housing program operates in the critical space between emergency shelter and permanent housing, providing survivors with the time they need to find healing and long-term stability. Our Hope House project will create a dedicated transitional housing space for survivors to live while addressing their recovery needs through supportive services like counseling, legal advocacy, and case management.

This year we have seen so much progress on this project - just look at where we started and where we are now! We're excited to be able to show you all what's still to come. Stay Tuned...