SAN ANTONIO – YWCA San Antonio has officially opened its new Women’s Live and Learn Center, a facility designed to provide women and their children with the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
The center aims to empower women who have faced challenges such as foster care, domestic violence and poverty. YWCA officials said it will serve as a safety net for women seeking a fresh start, offering four years of supportive housing, workforce development and case management.
“Women who have experienced all sorts of trauma, from having experienced the foster system to survivors of interpersonal and domestic violence or just experiences of backgrounds of poverty,” CEO of YWCA San Antonio Francesca Rattray said. “And, this is an opportunity to build a safety net for them, to invest in them, so they can achieve their dreams.”
The center’s new program already has 10 women enrolled, and it is expected to expand to 30 women by the end of the year. The women will receive not only a safe place to live but also access to job training and resources to help them move beyond mere survival.
“When you’re no longer in survival mode, you’re able to see opportunities and act on those opportunities,” YWCA Chief Operating Officer Angelica Cervantes said. “Our role is to be their biggest cheerleader and to break down those walls.”
The center is expected to provide women with the tools to improve their economic situation and provide better futures for themselves and their children.
“This is going to add affordable housing, supportive housing to help women, empower them to go through workforce training and build better lives for themselves and their children,” Rattray said.
The initial residents are scheduled to move in by the end of January. The grand opening also marked the beginning of the Harvey Najim Early Childhood Education and Care Center, another addition to the YWCA’s efforts to support families in the area.
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