Delaware County Women Against Rape (DCWAR)
- Project Focus: Health
- Year of Award: 2020
- Grant Award: $9,700
Organization background and information
Delaware County Women Against Rape’s overall objective is to provide comprehensive direct and educational services in an excellent manner and in alignment with our agency’s core values of respect, empathy, empowerment, and dependability. DCWAR has roots in the women’s movement of the 1960’s-1970’s, founded in 1974 as a rape crisis center, with the vision to be a collaborative and inclusive agency that serves the community to be free of sexual assault and other victimization. From its beginning, the organization’s vision was to be collaborative and inclusive, serving not only individual victims of sexual assault, but also addressing the root causes of sexual violence. All individuals residing in or working in and/or attending school in Delaware County and those who have been victimized within the county are eligible for services. Additionally, counseling services are available to victims’ significant others (i.e., family members, friends, witnesses to the crime) as well as to victims themselves.
Summary of grant request/proposal
DCWAR has identified this need and cannot undertake it without funding. Currently, they are working with women in George Hill (GH) Correctional Facility via phone over the past year. This option is being used due to its inexpensive nature and because it can be offered to all people in prison. This experience has allowed them to improve protocols and address barriers to counseling within the prison system which is good preparation for pilot program. The proposed DCWAR in-person individual and group counseling program would remove this barrier and improves access. DCWAR believes reaching incarcerated women through this new program would address a significant need and make a real difference. The GH phone-in program directly served 138 individuals. However, DCWAR knows many more incarcerated women would benefit from counseling services. This year the agency served 571 clients overall and provided services to 733 significant others/support persons.
Why your committee chose this organization/grant request
Members of the Health Committee were compelled by the urgent need to provide necessary counseling services to women that are afflicted with trauma and sexual assault. Our funds would directly impact women in Delaware county which is central to Project W’s mission.
Link to organization’s website
By Women, For Women 