NEW BEGINNINGS
Women Against Abuse
2022 Annual Report
letter from leadership
Many survivors come to our doors with just a backpack or diaper bag, quickly stuffed with a few essentials. Tired and anxious about the future, their shoulders relax as they are welcomed and offered a cup of coffee, dinner, toiletries and towels on the way to their room. Sitting on their bed and taking in their new surroundings, they are finally able to breathe. For the first time in a long time they will sleep soundly tonight.
Each client who stays in our emergency safe haven has their own unique story, but there is one common thread – their time with us marks a new, beautiful beginning.
In a sense, new beginnings are what Women Against Abuse is all about. Because it is the new beginning – the opportunity to break free from an abusive relationship and build a hope-filled future – that is the core of our work.
Our 2022 Annual Report will share the many new beginnings we have traversed as an organization over the past year, as well as a few of those to come! But none of these new beginnings – for clients or the Women Against Abuse familia – would be possible without your ongoing support. So, thank you for being a crucial partner in forging new, beautiful beginnings.
Abrazos,
Executive Director & President
Board Chair
Natalie's New Beginning
Entering the Women Against Abuse safe haven – really leaving for good – was the culmination of 10 years of relationship abuse; more arguments, threats and sleepless nights than Natalie* could count. They had children together, shared a life together, depended on each other financially. It wasn’t easy to break things off.
At first, Natalie felt like she was spiraling downwards. She was grieving, questioning her decision to leave, worrying about the impact on her kids, who seemed unnaturally quiet, almost numb to their new surroundings. Had she made the right choice?
But when her case manager helped Natalie to secure medical insurance, and she and her two children were able to access the care of a doctor again, it felt like the beginning of a new day. Things were starting to come together, and she could do this.
*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.
Impact By the Numbers
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The 15th Anniversary of DISH IT UP - our women chef competition and fundraiser - is coming on May 17th at Lincoln Financial Field!
Get your tickets now!Looking Ahead
We are pleased to share that we are renovating Ameya's Place - one of our 100-bed emergency safe havens.
Why renovate?
The up-keep of our safe havens is vital, especially since we provide the only domestic violence shelter beds in all of Philadelphia. We've operated Ameya's Place since 2007, and have had little opportunity to perform major updates to the building. The renovations will provide an enhanced and more welcoming client experience, and will include new flooring, lighting, HVAC system upgrades, windows and roof repair/ replacement, as well as security updates to the main entrance. We will also create private bathrooms for each resident room to eliminate the current need to share – a change that will greatly improve the quality of life for clients.
We are also excited for the opportunity to add four more resident rooms to the existing footprint. The expansion will allow us to serve 10-12 more people at a time, which we know is desperately needed. Our expansion is modest so that we can leverage existing economies of scale without increasing our annual operating costs.
When is this taking place & how will it be funded?
We expect to be "shovel ready" this winter, and will be doing an occupied rehab to ensure the continuity of our services. The planning and fundraising portion of this project has already been a multi-year process. We were grateful to secure $2.5 million from Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program that will pay for a large share of the $3.6 million project. And we will be reaching out to our generous supporters to help cover additional expenses as needed.
Strategic Planning
We are in the midst of a strategic planning process, an important opportunity to look critically at our current operations, dream big as we consider the future, and work with our stakeholders to take Women Against Abuse's impact to the next level. We are working with Anavi Strategies on a six-month strategic planning process, and expect to launch our new plan this summer. We look forward to the opportunity for reflection and growth as we envision a Philadelphia free from intimate partner violence.
We Can't Do It Without You!
Women Against Abuse needs your support to continue to provide caring, high-quality services to survivors of intimate partner violence, and to remain a leader in the movement to end domestic violence.
Become a Partner for Safety
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Access our most recent advocacy alertWe offer our deep thanks to the many people, companies, foundations and government entities that made our work possible over the past year. We could not carry out our life-saving work without our generous familia of supporters. Mil gracias.
View our fiscal year 2022 donor listFinancial Highlights
Women Against Abuse is committed to the highest quality fiscal management, ensuring that all contributions are used with integrity, transparency and for the greatest impact for survivors of domestic violence. We are pleased to have a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formerly Guidestar), the highest-level designation that a nonprofit can earn.
| Current Assets | $5,916,057 |
|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | $248,495 |
| Contributions receivable | $2,686,458 |
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | $103,707 |
| Investments | $2,877,397 |
| Noncurrent Assets | $2,765,933 |
| Land, building, improvements, furniture and equipment, net | $2,765,933 |
| Total Assets | $8,681,990 |
| Current Liabilities | $1,742,718 |
|---|---|
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $948,949 |
| Line of Credit | $781,229 |
| Client deposits | $12,540 |
| Notes Payable, net of current portion | $1,940,000 |
| Total Liabilities | $3,682,718 |
| Total Liabilities & Net Assets | $8,681,990 |
|---|---|
| Without Donor Restrictions | $4,365,824 |
| Operating | $1,138,423 |
| Board-designated | $3,227,401 |
| With Donor Restrictions | $633,448 |
| Total Net Assets | $4,999,272 |
| Governmental grants and contracts | $10,780,357 |
| Foundation awards | $257,217 |
| Contributions | $792,604 |
| In-kind contributions | $1,112,424 |
| Allocated investment income | $129,873 |
| Other | $65,598 |
| Total Revenue & Support | $13,138,073 |
|---|
| Program Services | $11,984,063 |
|---|---|
| Safe Havens | $7,185,316 |
| Legal | $3,301,572 |
| Sojourner House | $576,140 |
| Safe at Home | $336,934 |
| Policy and Prevention | $584,101 |
| Supporting Services | $1,420,370 |
| Management and general | $1,025,016 |
| Fundraising | $395,354 |
| Total Expenses | $13,404,433 |
| Change in net assets from operations before depreciation | ($266,360) |
| Depreciation | ($401,369) |
| Net investment loss | ($730,708) |
| Change in Net Assets | ($1,398,437) |
|---|---|
| Net assets at beginning of year | $6,397,709 |
| Net assets at end of year | $4,999,272 |