About W.A.S.
WAS can help you with safety planning, give you somebody to talk to, offer support, help with reporting a rape, and help you if the person you are dating is being violent.
Women's Aid Service
Contact us in Mid Michigan: Clare County (989) 463-6324 Gratiot County (989) 539-1046 Isabella County (989) 772-9168 |
About W.A.S.History of the Agency
Women’s Aid Service (WAS) was founded in 1977 as a pregnancy support service, and was funded by the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. In 1979 a lack of support and funding threatened the agency’s closure. However, due to Michigan’s political climate, funding was available for programs providing services to domestic violence victims. WAS applied for and received some of this funding, and as a result severed the agency’s affiliation with the Catholic Church. Our first facility was a rented shelter house in Mt. Pleasant and services were then, as now, provided to clients from Clare, Gratiot, and Isabella Counties. In 1988, our current Mt. Pleasant shelter was purchased, and in 1989, we bought the Alma shelter, which opened in January 1990. In 2001 we purchased and opened a shelter in Clare County. Goals of the Agency Emergency shelter services and crisis intervention for domestic violence victims continue to be the core services offered. And, although services are provided for all members of the violent home, the primary client of this organization is the abused person. The goals of WAS are to : 1) provide crisis victims with a safe house where they can feel at ease, 2) identify those issues that create feelings of crisis, 3) help individuals in crisis achieve workable solutions, 4)provide options and referrals to victims and their families, 5) increase community support, and 6)provide intervention services to all members of the family. Agency Funding The financial picture of WAS has consistently improved over the years. Currently, we are funded by a branch of the Michigan Department of Human Services, the Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board (MDVPTB), the Salvation Army, United Way, V.O.C.A., M.S.H.D.A., MDCH, private donations and agency fund raisers. Agency Beliefs
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