Women's and Children's Crisis Shelter

a beautiful kid with his parents at the back

In 1977 a group of community citizens came together to learn more about a problem that had just recently been named: Domestic Violence. The Southern California Coalition on Battered Women had been formed the year before, and communities all across the United States were waking up to this ever-growing problem.

The first action the committee took was opening a hotline. Calls began almost immediately. They wondered what to do with the victims. Some of the founders opened up their homes to the fleeing women and children. They knew this was not a long-term answer, so in 1978 they rented a house to use as their first shelter.

Since then, the Women’s and Children’s Crisis Shelter has diligently served victims of domestic violence: women, men, and their children. Our mission is to provide safety, shelter, and hope to victims of domestic violence. As part of our program, we collaborate with other agencies to improve overall health, wellness, and economic stability; provide culturally relevant and supportive intervention; provide educational information for the prevention of family violence, and maintain a 24-hour hotline. We operate on a 24-hour basis, and all of our programs are free-of-charge.

WCCS was founded on the belief that everyone has the right to a violence-free environment; that violence, be it physical, actual or threatened, emotional or psychological, has no place in healthy relationships. We are dedicated to helping the victims at whatever stage they find themselves.

The Timeline
1977 INCORPORATED	Incorporated. First project is the Hotline.
1978 RECEIVED GRANT	Grant from City of Santa Fe Springs provides for rental of shelter to house 4-5 families staffed totally by volunteers. One of the first shelters opened in Los Angeles County.
1979 FIRST PAID STAFF	Grant from City of Norwalk provides for first paid staff.
1980 FIRST EMERGENCY SHELTER	First emergency shelter in Los Angeles Count to set up “onsite” school.
1984 EMERGENCY CRISIS SHELTER	Grant from City of Whittier aids in purchase of Emergency Crisis Shelter.
1987 FIRST TEACHER	Whittier City School District provides a teacher for the onsite school.
1993 WALK-IN SITE	Walk-in site for family violence victims opens in Montebello.
1994 BILINGUAL PROGRAMS	WCCS makes all programs fully bilingual (English/Spanish).
1995 WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARD	WCCS agency staff received the Women of Distinction award from Soroptimist International of Whittier for ongoing efforts and commitment in helping women in need
1999 WOMEN-IN-TRANSITION CENTER	Women-In-Transition walk-in center moves to the city of Pico Rivera.
2001 STELLA’S FRIENDSHIP HOUSE	Stella’s Friendship House is established, a post-transitional housing program for low-income battered women and their children.
2009 MOVE TO WHITTIER	Women-In-Transition walk-in center moves to the city of Whittier. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate opening of Outreach and Administrative Offices.
2010 CLOSURE OF WOMEN-IN-TRANSITION	Closure of Women-In-Transition center in Whittier and temporary transitional housing placement freeze due to recession budget cuts.
2013 STELLA’S FRIENDSHIP HOUSE	Stella’s Friendship House re-opens, a post-transitional housing program.
2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS	Recruitment of additional members to Board of Directors commences to enhance agency governance, fundraising, and strategic planning.
2013 STRATEGIC PLAN	WCCS develops a strategic plan to clarify and prioritize agency goals.
2014 CUT-A-THON FUNDRAISER	Cut-A-Thon fundraiser event, hosted by Mozart the Salon and Salon Cheval, held in Whittier, CA.
2015 2ND ANNUAL FUNDRAISER	2nd Annual Cut-A-Thon fundraiser, hosted by Mozart the Salon in Whittier, CA.
2015 1ST ANNUAL LIP SYNC FUNDRAISER	“Speak Out for Those Who Can’t” Lip Sync Fundraiser event premiered at the Whittier Community Center, featuring nine community leaders.
2016 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN	WCCS is invited to participate in Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park’s 13th Annual Domestic Violence Campaign in collaboration with Congresswomen Grace Napolitano & Judy Chu.
2018 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OUTREACH PROGRAM RE-LAUNCH	A domestic violence outreach advocate is hired to work with victims of domestic violence, providing comprehensive walk-in supportive services.
2019 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN	The Board of Directors and the Executive Director develop a 5-year strategic plan to grow the outreach programming.
2019 ENDOWMENT	With a $20,000 gift from the Albert & Bettie Sacchi Foundation, a permanent endowment is set up for the Women’s and Children’s Crisis Shelter.
2019 TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM EXPANDS	Three families affected by domestic violence are housed at a time for up to a 9-month stay.
2019 5TH ANNUAL LIP SYNC EVENT	The 5th anniversary of the annual Lip Sync event raises over $25,000.
2019 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR OUTREACH CENTER LAUNCHES	Fundraiser begins to raise monies towards the purchase of a new outreach center.
2020 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OUTREACH PROGRAM EXPANDS	An outreach coordinator, three case managers, and a facilitator are hired to serve survivors at the outreach center.

24-hour Hotline 562-945-3939

History and Timeline

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