Milwaukee Women's Center's 45th Anniversary
In 2025, Community Advocates will celebrate the 45th anniversary of its Milwaukee Women’s Center (MWC) division with special events honoring past and present MWC staff, as well as the survivors who have courageously taken steps toward safety and stability.
MWC's mission is to provide innovative, culturally competent holistic care that will empower women, men, and children to live safe, independent, and healthy lives. The center provides round-the-clock, life-changing services each day to survivors of domestic violence and families at risk of homelessness, who often have nowhere else to turn. The Milwaukee Women’s Center is truly where abuse ends, and hope begins.
Milwaukee Women's Center's 45th Anniversary Celebration - July 10, 2025
For 45 years, the Milwaukee Women’s Center (MWC) has been a place of refuge, hope, and transformation for survivors of domestic violence and families facing homelessness. Each day, our team provides round-the-clock, life-changing services to individuals who often have nowhere else to turn. At the heart of our mission is our Emergency Shelter, which operates 24/7, offering up to 75 beds nightly and providing immediate support alongside comprehensive programming to help families move toward safety and independence.
As we reach this milestone anniversary in 2025, we remain deeply committed to our mission—strengthening our services, revitalizing our shelter, and continuing to meet the evolving needs of our community.
To honor this legacy, we are hosting a celebration of the staff and survivors who have changes so many lives during these 45 years, and look ahead to how we can create a safer, healthier community. Please join us on July 10 as we celebrate this milestone.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Deb Heffner, Strategic Partnership Director, at Dheffner@communityadvocates.net.
For media inquiries regarding the Milwaukee Women's Center, please contact Lisa Kaiser, Grants and Communications Director, at Lkaiser@communityadvocates.net.
Learn More about the Milwaukee Women's Center
At the time the Milwaukee Women’s Center was founded in 1980, advocates were increasingly becoming aware of the importance of providing services for survivors, but there were few resources for them, including safe shelter.
"This was before the federal government dedicated funding for domestic violence services through the Violence Against Women Act in 1994,” said Community Advocates CEO Andi Elliott. “Those early Milwaukee advocates were true heroes for survivors."
In the 2000s, Community Advocates and the MWC realized they could maximize their impact by joining forces. The organizations merged in 2007, and the MWC was established as a division within Community Advocates. Since then, the Emergency Shelter moved, expanded to 75 beds, and began welcoming families at risk of homelessness. The MWC also provides Substance Use Disorder treatment and offers the Bottomless Closet, which provides appropriate work attire and job-readiness skill training.
“All of our programs are trauma-informed, meaning that we create a sense of safety and stability so program participants can focus on healing and recovery,” said Shamika May, MWC’s Shelter Manager.
Uniquely, the MWC also works to halt the intergenerational cycle of violence by addressing its root causes through the Nevermore Batterers’ Prevention and Intervention Program for men with a history of abusive relationships.
“Our goal is to rehabilitate the whole man, not just the part of the man that has problems with domestic violence,” said Steve Thomas, Nevermore Program Coordinator.
In 2024, the Milwaukee Women's Center:
- Provided 233 adults and children with emergency shelter and comprehensive services
- Responded to 860 callers on its crisis line (414-671-6140)
- Served 42 women ages 50+ through its Older Abused Women's Program
- Engaged 86 people with Substance Use Disorder treatment
- Helped 143 men break the cycle of intergenerational violence
To learn more about the Milwaukee Women's Center's programs and services, click here.
