YWCA Oklahoma City

YWCA Oklahoma City offers many services below they are listed.

Domestic Violence Programs and Services:

Housing for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

Inez Kinney Gaylord Emergency Shelter:
The YWCA provides the only shelter for battered women and children in Oklahoma County. Ours is an emergency shelter, providing help in obtaining legal services, transportation, housing information, medical care, child care and advocacy services for up to two months. Clients attend domestic violence education and support groups during their stay. Our Child Advocates offer education and support to help children avoid further victimization, verbalize feelings, learn appropriate ways to express emotions and understand what is occurring in their families.

Our shelter is a safe place for women and children to escape domestic violence. Open 24-hours/7days a week, the shelter provides immediate, emergency shelter and supplemental services to more than 350 women and children every year.

Transitional Housing:
The YWCA's transitional housing program is for women and children who are victims of family violence. Participants have up to two years to obtain the education and job skills training needed to begin a new life. Services include case management, child care, counseling, legal services and transportation. There are seven apartments, including one handicapped accessible unit. All are equipped with furnishings and basic household items, The apartments are a two-year housing program that allows a woman to get back on her feet while going to school, job training or working toward self-sufficiency.

What are Crisis Services?
The YWCA provides a wide array of wraparound services to help victims and children escape and heal from domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Program (DVVAP):
DVVAP provides on-site assistance at the police station in filing victim protection orders and safety planning. The DVVAP director also accompanies victims to court when appropriate.

Counseling and Community Groups:
Counseling is provided for domestic violence victims and their children to help them heal from trauma. These services provide a variety of education, support, counseling and referral services to survivors of family violence through the Women and Children's Community Domestic Violence Education Groups, Individual Counseling and Women's Wellness Groups.

Children's Counseling Program:
The YWCA offers a broad range of services to meet the unique needs of children who have been affected by domestic violence or sexual assault by providing crisis intervention, domestic violence education, trauma intervention programming and safety planning for children who have experienced trauma in their lives. This program is also CARF accredited. Learn more about our Children's Counseling Program.

Prevention Education and Economic Empowerment Program (EEP):
Prevention Education allows thousands of children and students to receive information and education on the sensitive issues surrounding sexual assault and family violence. In an effort to prevent rapes and dating violence, and to change the general attitudes towards victims of rape, interactive scenarios are presented to schools, churches, businesses and community organizations.

One of the biggest reasons women stay in abusive relationships is a lack of financial independence. EEP provides women with career and life skills, career opportunities, mentoring, job placement and other assistance to break down that barrier. Learn more about EEP today! Counseling is provided for domestic violence victims and their children to help them heal from trauma. These services provide a variety of education, support, counseling and referral services to survivors of family violence through the Women and Children's Community Domestic Violence Education Groups, Individual Counseling and Women's Wellness Groups.

Providing support for victims of Sexual Assault:

The YWCA provides an array of services to help the primary and secondary survivors of sexual assault regain control over their lives. From responding to calls on our 24-hour Rape Crisis Hotline, to hospital advocacy and follow-up counseling, the YWCA is meeting the needs of hundreds of sexual assault survivors each year. We also serve as a resource center to the community by offering information, speakers, and referrals

Hospital Advocacy:
The YWCA Hospital Advocates are on-call 24-hours per day to provide emotional support, advocacy and crisis counseling to sexual assault survivors at hospital, police stations and throughout the legal system. The Hospital Advocacy team is comprised of both staff and volunteers. Training is offered several times a year to those who want to volunteer. For more information on Hospital Advocates, please contact Karla Docter at kdocter@ywcaokc.org.

SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner):
The YWCA SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program is a collaboration with Metro Area law enforcement, Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, Midwest Regional Medical Center, Integris Southwest Medical Center, Integris Baptist Medical Center, YWCA Hospital Advocates and volunteer nurses with specialized SANE training. YWCA SANE are trained in the proper collection, preservation, and documentation of evidence. They offer a unique contribution to forensic investigators by providing a comprehensive, objective physical examination for victims of sexual assault. The collaborative efforts of the all the agencies involved in the program ensure the evidence is collected without re-traumatizing the victims. For more information on the SANE Program, please contact Brandi Tierney.