LIGHTFOOT FOUNDATION SUPPORTS SHELTER

February 14, 2020

For Immediate Release

LIGHTFOOT FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANT TO PROVIDE SAFE SHELTER FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Boise, ID – The Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) has been awarded a grant of $45,000 from the Lightfoot Foundation. The funds will be used to support the WCA’s shelter program, specifically, for operational costs—maintenance, janitorial, security and utilities.

At the heart of the WCA’s efforts to provide safety is a comprehensive and secure 120-day residential shelter and transitional housing program in confidential locations. These provide round-the-clock staff assistance, private rooms, and common living facilities for women and children fleeing domestic abuse and/or sexual assault. On-site child care is provided for mothers participating in the residential program.

Leaving an abusive relationship is often a high-risk decision. For many domestic violence victims, leaving means that they may not be able to immediately find safe housing or properly feed their children and keep them emotionally and physically safe. In fact, the National Coalition for the Homeless notes that a woman is 70 times more likely to be murdered in the few weeks after leaving her abusive partner than at any other time in the relationship.

The foundational elements of the WCA’s program, the emergency shelter and transitional housing, also incorporate meaningful programming that aim to enhance an individual’s ability to achieve their goals and increase self-sufficiency. These include an expansive menu of education, awareness and therapeutic program components.

This grant will provide safety, freedom and healing for many fleeing domestic abuse and sexual assault. Last fiscal year alone, the WCA provided 11,132 “safe bed nights” to 182 women and children.

“The National Institute of Justice indicated that if domestic violence shelters did not exist, the consequences for victims would be dire, including: homelessness, losing custody of children, continued abuse, or possibly death,” says Bev La Chance, Deputy Director for the WCA. “By ensuring the sustainability of the WCA’s shelter program, The Lightfoot Foundation is making a critical contribution to the safety of domestic violence victims in our community.”

About the WCA

The Women’s & Children’s Alliance provides safety, healing and freedom from domestic abuse and sexual assault. The WCA operates secure shelters and provides professional counseling, legal advocacy, crisis services and case management to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. For more information, visit www.wcaboise.org.

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