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Online Notes
New York Asian
Women's Center
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How We Began
The New York
Asian Women's
Center was
founded in 1982
by a small group
of volunteers
from the Asian
community, who
recognized that
Asian immigrant
women had
nowhere to turn
when faced with
domestic
violence. What
began as a
community
awareness
project, soon
grew to include
a hotline,
available just a
few hours a
week. Led by
Founding
Executive
Director, Pat
Eng, the hotline
was run by
volunteers out
of a supporter's
office, with the
phone hidden in
a file cabinet
during off
hours. As
awareness spread
throughout the
community, more
operating hours
and languages
were added to
the hotline.
How We Grew
In 1985,
volunteers began
to take battered
women and
children into
their homes
during emergency
situations,
effectively
creating the
first organized
shelter program
for battered
Asian women on
the East Coast.
Two years later,
NYAWC hired its
first full-time
staff, and in
1988 we began
offering "safe
apartments" to
provide shelter
facilities for
battered women
and children.
NYAWC services
continued to
grow with our
Children's
Program,
launched in
1995, offering
counseling,
play-therapy,
and parenting
skill services.
In 1999, we
opened our
second safe
facility for
women, and in
2001 we began
offering 24-hour
emergency
shelter.
Where We Are Now
In the last few
years, our
shelter services
have grown to
include three
24-hour
facilities with
a total capacity
of 57 beds. With
the goal of
owning, rather
than renting all
of our shelters,
we purchased our
first facility
in 2003, and are
currently
working to
complete our
second owned
facility. Our
non-residential
services have
grown into our
Shelter
Alternatives:
Fostering
Empowerment
(SAFE) program,
serving and
empowering women
within their own
communities. We
now have more
than 60 staff,
offering
services in a
total of 15
different Asian
languages and
dialects.
URL:
www.nyawc.org
Contact Us
If you would
like to speak to
someone about
domestic
violence or the
services we
offer, call our
24-hour
toll-free
hotline at
1-888-888-7702.
If you are in
danger and need
immediate
assistance,
please call 911.
Mailing Address
New York Asian
Women's Center
39 Bowery, PMB
375
New York, NY
10002
Hotline
888-888-7702
Administrative
Phone
212-732-5230
Fax
212-587-5731
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