OUR STORY
Women Helping Women (WHW) was founded in 1993 by two women who had experienced domestic abuse. As they moved forward to rebuild their lives, they discovered acquiring and rebuilding a wardrobe with limited resources was a huge challenge. They stepped forward to address this gap in service by forming a California non-profit organization - Women Helping Women.
The founders began collecting professional clothing from co-workers and friends and delivered them to the local domestic abuse shelters. The word spread and soon the service was being requested from agencies supporting women in drug & alcohol recovery, those leaving welfare and prison and those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The doors opened at the official home of Women Helping Women in Costa Mesa, the city where it has remained for 13 years. In that first year, 61 clients were served. With an established home, came growth and expansion of programs. First came the opening of a computer lab where women gain technology skills and access to on-line resources. The digital divide greatly impacts low-income people due to lack of access. The WHW computer lab bridges this divide by allowing equal access and one-on-one instruction.
In the summer of 2006 our first satellite “boutique” was opened in Santa Ana. Co-located with Arbor E & T, hundreds of CalWorks clients are served in a convenient, accessible location adjacent to their classrooms and educational services.
In 2007 we introduced the Employment Success Program, a comprehensive employment service with the addition of a job developer, career counselor, and workshop trainings. Added to the wardrobe and image consulting services and the computer lab, women now have a single source of employment support – no matter their life circumstance.