Women Are Dreamers Too (WADT), a public charity organization, led by Cindy Williams, celebrates its 25th anniversary and launches a transformative 5-Year Campaign to empower women and children in the suburbs of Georgia.
Domestic violence is a pressing social issue worldwide, affecting people across all stages of life, and leading to physical, emotional, and economic problems. The United States has the highest incidence of domestic violence, with 94% of all female murder-suicides, and the rate of intimate partner violence is a staggering 1 in 4 women.
Cindy Williams, armed with a Ph.D. in economics and fueled by a desire to make a real impact, has honed her focus on providing comprehensive support to survivors. She emphasizes, “This is not just an issue affecting specific demographics and economic status. Domestic violence permeates every layer of society, but an alarming trend is the suffering of suburban women and children, who often have to endure their abuse in silence. We need collective action to address it, and providing safe housing is a crucial step towards breaking the cycle.”
WADT's specialized safe house in North Fulton, in the cities of Johns Creek, Milton, and Alpharetta, strategically addresses the challenges in the southeast region of the US, focussed primarily on suburban women and children. The organization offers survivors a confidential and secure environment equipped with necessary support services. The Safe House initiative serves as a safe environment where women and children can hide in plain sight. It offers a comprehensive response to domestic violence, tailored to the specific needs of survivors. It offers trauma-informed counseling, legal advocacy, medical assistance, life skills training, employment support, educational resources, childcare, and assistance with housing relocation.
Cindy Williams and her team’s goal is to break the cycle of violence by offering survivors in the suburbs a chance to interrupt patterns of abuse, access essential resources, and develop strategies for long-term safety and independence. As WADT celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, it launches this five-year campaign with a $25 million funding round campaign to catalyze transformative change. The expanded funding will serve various essential purposes, contributing to the goal of creating a safer and more empowered future for survivors in the suburbs.
Specifically, WADT is looking for partners and donors to help the organization move affected women and children into appropriate housing in the broader Georgia area. This is a key focus of the organization at this stage and one that has various challenges that the organization is seeking to remedy.
In addition to housing for abused women and children, the organization is allocating resources to targeted programs like the ‘Specialized Safe House Soft Skill Job Readiness Program.’ The Southeast region faces a disproportionate rate of domestic violence, necessitating a focused and sustained effort. The increased funding allows WADT to strengthen its Dreamers Programs and expand its outreach in the region.
Education is a powerful tool in breaking the cycle of violence and poverty. The funding round will also focus on ‘Micro Enterprise Training Empowerment Programs for Underserved Women’ and ‘K-12 STEM Children After School Programs,’ aiming to amplify educational resources available to women and children affected by domestic violence.
The funding round will also enable WADT to invest in long-term solutions, such as the specialized safe house, providing immediate relief for survivors and establishing a sustained support system.
WADT recognizes the importance of systemic change, facilitating advocacy efforts aimed at influencing policy changes related to domestic violence. By engaging in research and leveraging data from organizations like the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, the nonprofit organization seeks to be a catalyst for legislative changes that protect survivors, enhance support services, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The funding round also opens avenues for collaborative partnerships with other organizations, businesses, and governmental agencies, enhancing the collective strength of the movement against domestic violence.
Media Contact
Name: Cindy Williams
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