2020 Impact Report

For 153 years, YWCA Greater Cincinnati has been dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Every day we work tirelessly to center the voices of those who are marginalized and oppressed by systemic injustices.

We believe gender and skin color shouldn’t be determinants of success.

Family Justice Center

The Family Justice Center (FJC) is a community collaborative providing comprehensive support to survivors in a new one-stop location.

1/3 of those served by the FJC in 2020 were immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers who are survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault or stalking.

  • In 2020, 311 survivors were served by the FJC.

  • Suspect Identification Cards and Language Access Cards were created for the Cincinnati Police Department to more effectively help non-English speaking survivors, which contributed to several arrests.

  • 22 trainings were provided to 992 healthcare/mental health professionals, school educators, child protective services employees, probation/court staff, law enforcement, and other multi-disciplinary professionals to ensure a coordinated community response for immigrant survivors.

  • 553 domestic violence/sexual assault and stalking cases were reviewed by FJC’s Domestic Violence Prosecutor to asses risk and filed with Hamilton County.

“I was staying at shelter and on a good path. My abuser had ruined my car just to hurt me & keep me under control. He damaged the tires & ripped off the windshield wipers. The FJC helped me with an UBER card so I could continue to work. Once I get back on my feet, I will give back to help others!”

– Family Justice Center Client

Residential Services

Peaceful Solutions: Restorative Practices Program

‘Zero Tolerance’ disciplinary policies (i.e. suspension & expulsion) significantly hinder student success – specifically impacting students of color. Boys of color are suspended 3X more than white boys, and girls of color are suspended 6X more than white girls. 50% of those suspended multiple times before high school do not graduate and 1 in 4 Black male dropouts are incarcerated daily. Known as the ‘school to prison pipeline’, students of color are disproportionately affected by ‘zero tolerance’ policies and thus face a greater likelihood of entering the criminal justice system.

Peaceful Solutions is our effort to eliminate the school to prison pipeline.

  • Active in three local schools, where 62% of students live in households with an income below 185% of the federal poverty line and over 50% are students of color

  • After two years of pilot programming, 68% of students experienced a reduction in instances resulting in disciplinary actions. 1 in 3 had a decrease of 10 or more instances, 80% had a 100% reduction, and one student had a reduction of 30 instances.

  • 1,900 students participate in the program annually

Watch the video below to learn more.

Project CARE

Project CARE (Community, Accessibility, Responsiveness, and Education) is a community collaborative providing support to individuals with disabilities impacted by/or at-risk for violence. Project CARE’s mission is to provide trauma informed and responsive services to individuals with disabilities who are victims/survivors of domestic violence, dating/ intimate partner violence, stalking, and/or sexual assault, or are at risk for victimization.

What does Project CARE mean to me? It means that I am important and I can help somebody else be important. I am here to stand up for people that want to know their rights; people that may be dealing with mental, physical, or emotional abuse. We are a team, and we are empowered to stand up for all genders and other people with disabilities.

– Keya, client

Racial Justice & Advocacy

YWCA Greater Cincinnati leads awareness and advocacy campaigns, provides educational trainings, hosts dialogues, and serves as an advisory resource within 5 key areas: racial and religious profiling, the school to prison pipeline, civic education and engagement, bail reform, and the representation of Black individuals in the media.

Racism is a Public Health Crisis

YWCA was one of 246 companies/organizations to endorse declaring racism a public health crisis in Hamilton County. 390 individuals signed our petition.

Voter Education

In 2020 YWCA Greater Cincinnati educated 1,194 voters through the Voter Education panel discussions.