During Women’s History Month, we want to celebrate the generations of women, girls, and female-headed families who have been part of the Milwaukee Women’s Center’s community of care.

Since 1980, the Milwaukee Women’s Center has been a provider of comprehensive support services, domestic violence support groups and case management, recovery support services, day treatment for women, batterer's education for men, onsite therapy, children’s programming, and specialized substance abuse services for pregnant women and mothers who are living with a substance use disorder.

As an independent nonprofit, Milwaukee Women's Center services were first offered within a mission to research, develop, and administer programs to end domestic abuse and the center offered a range of high-quality and innovative prevention, intervention, and supportive services that responded to the needs of women, men, and children who are experiencing family violence, homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, and poverty.

In 2007, the independent Milwaukee Women's Center merged with Community Advocates with the intention of improving and enhancing the existing services provided by each agency. For Community Advocates, the partnership with the Milwaukee Women's Center filled a programming gap that addressed the physical and mental safety issues of our clients. For the Milwaukee Women’s Center, it provided those within its care easy access to comprehensive wraparound services and programs that address their basic needs, such as assistance with safe housing, rent and energy bills, protective payee services, case management, advocacy, and much more.

Through the Milwaukee Women’s Center, generations of girls and women have achieved safety, health, and wellness—all while developing to their fullest potential. Each day we honor the resilience and strength of women who face challenges—and rise to meet them. 

• 775 callers were provided telephone crisis intervention services (414-671-6140) to ensure immediate safety, short-term emotional support, assistance with shelter, legal information and advocacy, referrals for medical treatment, and ongoing counseling and group support.
• 130 adults and 140 children received emergency transportation, safe housing, support, and comprehensive domestic violence services through the Milwaukee Women’s Center Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter.
• 68 low-income women and men and 123 children experiencing homelessness received shelter and assistance through the Family Support Center Emergency Shelter for families.
• The Older Abused Women's Program provided support, advocacy, and personalized services to 124 women aged 50 and older who were abused physically, emotionally, and/or financially by their spouses, partners, adult children, or older grandchildren.
• 118 men learned how to become better dads and role models through their enrollment in the FIRE Program.
• 251 men participated in batterers’ prevention and intervention education.
• 37 women received intensive, outpatient treatment through the POWER Program to overcome substance use disorders.
• 38 men and women received outpatient substance use disorder treatment through the Family Intervention Program, which provides treatment and support to African American and Latino families.
• The Bottomless Closet provided career-appropriate free clothing to support 196 women and 86 men seeking employment opportunities 

We want to take a moment and say THANK YOU to the staff and clients of Molly Maid of East Metro Milwaukee and Racine. These wonderful people have steadfastly supported the Milwaukee Women’s Center for five years. A portion of funds from appointments goes toward helping others, including adults and families staying in our emergency shelter. This year they increased their target and surpassed it -- and presented this big check! We are so grateful for their generosity and their dedication to helping adults and kids who are surviving domestic violence. This is such a heartfelt gift -- we truly appreciate it. 

The clothing bank at the Milwaukee Women's Center's emergency shelter is nice and organized thanks to a group of volunteers from Colliers Wisconsin -- Rachel, Gigi, Celeste and Brittany. We really appreciate your help! 

Community Advocates is offering rental assistance to City of Milwaukee tenants who need help getting back on their feet after an unexpected loss of income within the past 60 days and owe less than three months of back rent. You can get details on the eligibility requirements on our website. 

If you need help covering your energy bills, don’t wait! Community Advocates is a proud partner in the Milwaukee County Energy Assistance Program. This seasonal program closes on May 15. Call 414-270-4653 or go to keepwarmmke.org to schedule an appointment.

During February and March, Community Advocates participated in these community activities:

• Keep It 100 Hiring and Resource Fair at Gee’s Clippers, organized by Maximus
• Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee’s eviction sealing clinic for Milwaukee County tenants
• Senator Tammy Baldwin’s meetings with Milwaukee stakeholders about the fentanyl crisis and the high cost of inhalers
• Light & Unite Red Week, March 18-24, organized by CA PPI's RISE Drug Free MKE to shine a light on the benefits of living substance-free
• Samad’s House Second Annual Harm Reduction Drive-Thru to support health, safety, and wellness
• Home to Stay Reentry Resource Fair at The Community Warehouse
• Advocacy Day at CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., when Public Policy Institute advocates met with staff from the offices of US Senator Tammy Baldwin, US Senator Ron Johnson, and Congresswoman Gwen Moore to discuss substance use prevention in our community
• Black Balloon Day at Samad’s House

Milwaukee tenants and landlords can get help in person without an appointment.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center, located in Community Advocates' downtown offices at 728 N. James Lovell St., Milwaukee. The Triage Team will assess your situation and make referrals so you can get the help you need.

The RHRC is open to the public Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

You can also find available rentals in Milwaukee and surrounding areas on our website. We update the listings every week on our website and Facebook page.

We have a number of career opportunities right now. Join our team!



• On-Call Resident Manager
• Seasonal Energy Assistance Advocate
• Shelter Advocate

Can you help Community Advocates and the Milwaukee Women's Center meet the needs of our program participants? We're currently seeking these items:

• Coats and boots for all ages and genders
• Hoodies for toddlers up to adults
• Jackets of all sizes, from toddlers to adults
• Twin sheets
• Blankets
• Socks, boys and girls, men and women
• New underwear for all ages, from toddlers to adults
• New pillows
• Tennis shoes for boys, girls, men, and women
• New or gently used towels
• School supplies
• Pots and pans, utensils, dishes, blankets, and other household items

If you are able to give, please reach out to Jeri at jkavanaugh@communityadvocates.net to coordinate delivery of your donation. Thank you!

You can get in touch with us in the following ways:

• Call: 414-270-2992
• Email: Contact Us
• Facebook: facebook.com/CommunityAdvocatesMilwaukee
• Milwaukee Women’s Center’s 24/7 Crisis Line: 414-671-6140
• Milwaukee County Energy Assistance Program: 414-270-4653 or KeepWarmMKE.org
• FSET at Community Advocates: 414-290-7700
• Rent HelpLine: renthelp@communityadvocates.net
• Bottomless Closet: 414-270-2984
• Emergency services after hours or on weekends: 2-1-1