- Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
DAIS operates an emergency shelter program for battered women and their children, a legal advocacy program, support groups, children¹s programming and a crisis response program.
The organization asked A Fund for Women for a grant that would provide direct, immediate assistance to battered women. This aid offers a critical resource at a crucial time, and can provide the immediate, practical help that encourages a woman to find the courage to flee from a dangerous situation. The grant provided by AFFW will encourage self-sufficiency in the most basic ways: funds will be used for cab fare to and from support groups, for paying for lock changes when appropriate, for bus tickets, for security deposits for housing, for co-pays on prescription drugs, or for replacing vital documents like a driver¹s license or birth certificate or court papers that may be left behind in an emergency. In addition, data on the cost of these crucial and often unfunded services will be collected, providing important research in understanding how to best help those trapped in abusive relationships.
The grant is intended to help women determined to break the cycle of abuse by assisting them with:
- Access to support groups, thereby reducing the isolation in their lives
- Increasing their ability to provide necessary resources for themselves and their children
- Finding secure, safe, permanent housing
- W.I.S.H. - Wisconsin Initiatives in Sustainable Housing
Disabled women are especially vulnerable to losing their homes and becoming institutionalized. W.I.S.H. has come to A Fund for Women with a pilot project aimed at keeping these women in their homes. Clearly, it focuses on our theme of eliminating barriers to self-sufficiency.
The pilot project involves developing a comprehensive and detailed plan for eight women, including a written self-help guide. It includes financial planning, alternative ownership arrangements (such as housing trusts), development of maintenance and preservation plans for housing, dealing with accessibility issues, developing self-help skills, and developing a voluntary support network. The program coordinates service provision among a variety of collaborative partners to make certain many diverse issues are considered in the effort to keep these women independent and in their own homes.
- Porchlight - Housing First
A group of women who face an especially daunting obstacle in achieving self-sufficiency are those who suffer from mental illness. Chronic mental illness among women is all too often also connected with homelessness, and, unfortunately, finding affordable housing may be predicated on having behavioral issues under control.
An innovative new program developed in New York City called Housing First operates with the notion that the first and most important thing for the mentally ill is a safe, regular place to sleep each night. Having provided a stable environment, the project then works on the other issues affecting the mentally ill.
Porchlight has proposed adopting this model in Madison for a group of chronically mentally ill homeless women and we are proud to help support this program. It also includes intensive case management, transportation services and support services, all with the goal of helping these women achieve a secure, independent living situation.
- Interfaith Hospitality Network - Second Chance Housing Project
The Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Madison area mobilizes religious communities and other social service organizations to serve homeless families by both providing shelter and working closely with the families so they can become self-sufficient.
Recognizing that problems which cause homelessness are not solved overnight, the 2nd Chance Apartment project identifies families in shelter programs and rents an apartment for them for a two year period. The program, which is a partnership between the YWCA of Madison and IHN, has families pay 30 percent of their income to a fund which is put in an individual account to pay utilities, back debts, education costs or provide a much-needed family savings account. The Y helps manage these accounts and provides employment counseling and tenant education. Meanwhile, IHN provides case management services.
A Fund for Women has committed to sponsoring rent for a two year period for a woman-headed family in the program.
- Wisconsin Academy for Graduate Service Dogs - WAGS
Self-sufficiency for those with physical disabilities may come from help from care-givers. The WAGS program trains canine helpers - highly trained service dogs that serve disabled people and allow them to live independently. These remarkable animals are both companions and able helpers, capable of opening and closing doors and drawers, picking up dropped objects, retrieving items from shelves and even helping pay for groceries at a store.
The cost of a fully-trained WAGS dog represents an investment of over $14,000 by the end of its extensive two-year training period.
WAGS has agreed to make a dog available to a woman in Dane County with a physical disability who lacks the financial resources to pay for such a companion.
WAGS has agreed to provide the service dog for $4000, and A Fund for Women is delighted to pay for the dog who will be an important part of his human guardian¹s effort toward an independent life.
- Jewish Social Services
Since 1978, Jewish Social Services has been serving the Madison community, including senior adults. Over 70 percent of the elderly population they care for are women, and JSS provides a range of services and interventions for this group that is intended to prevent premature or unnecessary institutionalization. The emphasis is on maximizing independence while addressing issues of isolation and loneliness.
A model for the community, services are provided without charge, regardless of ability to pay, for as long as they are needed. JSS provides assistance in locating subsidized housing, applying for government benefits, finding volunteers to assist with shopping or home chores, arranging health assessments, coordinating services with physicians, home health providers and other providers, and offering counseling. They deal with individual issues, and simultaneously organize special outings and recreational activities with scholarships and transportation provided. In addition, they run a weekly nutrition site with the largest attendance in Dane County, combining a meal with a fitness program, as well as an opportunity for socialization, entertainment and education.
We are proud to support all of these diverse programs, and look forward to learning about the positive impact on our community in the months to come.
