About Us

Who We Are

With our primary focus on eliminating domestic violence and other forms of abuse, the Women’s Center of Montgomery County is a membership organization that has been volunteer-powered since its inception in 1976, providing services which include:

A 24-hour domestic violence hotline
Elder abuse counseling and supportive services
Individualized peer and group domestic violence counseling
Telephone counseling, information and referral
Legal advocacy
Court and hospital accompaniment
Emergency relocation funding for victims of domestic violence
Education and outreach to the community and schools

Our programs are administered by more than 150 volunteers and a paid staff of 24 full and part-time employees in our seven offices throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Strategies for achieving our mission

Safety

Promote physical, social and emotional safety of individuals impacted by DV:

Run an effective, accessible hotline
Provide one-on-one advocacy (Legal, Medical, Housing, Employment)
Court advocacy, court accompaniment and PFA assistance
Provide access to immigration services
Develop access to comprehensive legal representation
Develop interventions and enhance cultural sensitivity to respond to the unique safety challenges of diverse vulnerable populations
Strengthen high-quality trauma-informed services

Education

Educate and advocate to prevent, avoid and reduce the incidence of domestic violence:

Projects

Implement special projects to address unmet needs and underserved populations:

Provide effective interventions and services to help themfind safety and stability
Promote cultural awareness, acceptance and inclusion, within our organization and community
Become supportive, effective allies in challenging thebarriers and myths that isolate and frustrate individualvictims and communities

Our Goal

In addition to affecting positive change for individuals, our goal is to create institutional change and reduce the impact of domestic violence, creating a cultural shift towards healthier, safer communities.

Our Accomplishments

One of our greatest strengths is our volunteer labor force, providing direct services to survivors. Each year we benefit from more than 20,000 volunteer hours.

Other key strengths include our strategic use of technology; multiple locations; training capabilities and our initiatives working with underserved populations. We maintain seven community-based offices throughout Montgomery County. We also staff an office at the Courthouse to assist victims seeking Protection from Abuse Orders. Through our Medical Advocacy Project, we provide onsite staffing at Jefferson/Abington, Jefferson/Lansdale and Holy Redeemer Hospitals.

ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND RECOGNITION INCLUDE: The WCMC is PAs fifth largest service domestic violence, with the largest volunteer Workforce.

2004

WCMC chosen by Citizens Bank and NBC-10 to be their first Community Champion for the Mid-Atlantic Region. We designated the cash award to the creation of our Elder Abuse Project. Established in 1992 as one of the first three pilot projects funded in PA, our Medical Advocacy Project program became a national prototype for suburban hospital settings, recognized in 2007 by the GlaxoSmithKline Impact Awards committee.

2008

WCMC was identified by the PA Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD) as one of 5 victim service agencies who exemplify best practices for organizational capacity building.

2012

Expanded medical advocacy program to promote universal screening for domestic violence through the obstetrics and pediatric healthcare providers to increase the identification and treatment of children at risk as they witness violence in their homes.

2013

WCMC was among the first 12 programs in PA to pilot the Lethality Assessment Project, an evidenced-based program in which police officers responding to a domestic call screen victims to assess the risk of escalating violence. In the first 5 years, we received over 700 high risk referrals from police departments.

2014

Received $25,000 award from Verizon Foundation in recognition of our middle school prevention education curriculum.

2017

WCMC selected as recipient of the Barra Award, recognizing organizational leadership, performance and adaptability.

2020

WCMC one of three finalists selected as recipients of the Impact 100 Philadelphia Award in the amount of $108,000.

2022

Expanded our medical advocacy team to include a Birth Advocate, working with healthcare providers, doulas, midwifes, birth coaches to provide support to at-risk pregnant women.

2023

WCMC became one of the first domestic violence programs in Pennsylvania certified to administer the Lethality Assessment Project created by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.