Womens Center

Information may not be reliable

Over the last thirty-six years, the Womens Center has provided safe emergency shelter, counseling, and support services to over 20,000 individuals. The need for services has been increasing at alarming rates. The Harbor House domestic violence shelter is the only emergency shelter available to women and children fleeing an abusive home in Marquette and Alger counties. Domestic violence doesnt solely impact women. Even if children arent abused themselves, fifty percent of boys exposed to domestic violence will become batterers and fifty percent of girls witnessing domestic violence will become victims. While we have recently purchased and renovated a larger shelter, we are still often times at capacity. In fact, from fiscal year 2004/2005 to fiscal year 2007/2008 shelter nights in our community have risen steadily each year for a total of 27% over the four-year period.

The need is real, and the urgency extreme. Access to safety when a woman and her children are in danger is life saving. The Harbor House domestic violence shelter is always open, always staffed and always ready to help the women and children who need safety and access to services. Through our programs, we help women start their lives over. This includes locating affordable housing, finding adequate employment, and putting the necessary safety precautions in place. During this last fiscal year, the Harbor House and Womens Center staff and volunteers provided 3,369 shelter nights and processed 2,494 crisis calls. Trained volunteers provided 2,010 hours of service at the Harbor House and 7,494 hours of service to the entire organization.