January 12, 2016
For Immediate Release
NAGEL FOUNDATION SUPPORTS SHELTER FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS
Boise, ID – The Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) has been awarded two grants totaling $84,000 from the John F. Nagel Foundation to support emergency shelter and transitional housing programs for women and children fleeing domestic and/or sexual violence.
One grant for $34,000 will be used to maintain the WCA’s current emergency and transitional shelter programs; the second for $50,000 will support the construction of a new facility that will provide eight transitional housing units. These units will be occupied by clients that have completed their initial participation in the WCA’s emergency shelter program, but do not yet have a safe residence secured for themselves and their children.
Housing is becoming increasingly difficult for our lower-income community members to find. Given that 81 percent of our shelter residents last year had annual incomes of less than $12,000, this is definitely the situation for many of them. During a client’s shelter stay, they work with WCA staff to secure appropriate housing for when they are ready to leave the shelter, but sometimes more time is needed.In 2015, the WCA provided 10,387 safe bed nights to 177 women and children through the emergency shelter and transitional housing programs. This means they were able to sleep without fear – something most people take for granted.
“Our goal is to ensure, as best we can, that our moms do not face the difficult choice of returning themselves and their children to an abusive relationship in order to maintain a roof over their heads, or becoming another homeless statistic due to domestic violence,” said Bev La Chance, WCA Deputy Director.
“The Nagel Foundation is pleased to continue its support of WCA programs and help fund the new building project,” said Nagel Foundations’ Curt Goldgrabe. “The foundation is committed to helping meet great basic needs of people in our community and we view the work of the WCA as part of that mission.”
In addition to safe shelter, the WCA offers case management, counseling, court advocacy, education and a variety of other integrated services and programs to women, men and children victimized by abuse.
About the Nagel Foundation
The Nagel Foundation was formed in 1989 in memory of John F. Nagel and his son Jack Nagel, former owner/operators of Nagel Beverage Company in Boise, Idaho. The Foundation has awarded over $13.4 million to 87 organizations for charitable purposes in southwest Idaho since its inception in 1989.
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.
###