Description
WIT's services include a 24-hour crisis Hotline, Intake Assessment, Lifeline Peer Support Groups, individual and life management counseling, and community education and training.
WIT began as a feminist collective in West Philadelphia in 1971, with two full-time staff members, a budget of $20,000, and a host of volunteers. WIT initiated the creation of the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline Collaboration, leading the city’s four domestic violence programs in providing a 24-hour bilingual hotline.
WIT is guided by a feminist philosophy that is based upon a commitment to work for social change to create equal access to power - political, economic, cultural, spiritual and institutional - for women and other marginalized populations. Here at WIT, we recognize that women who experience domestic violence or substance abuse face unique challenges.
We also recognize that social identities, such as race, class, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation can our experiences of domestic violence and substance abuse. While we recognize that people who identify as women are disproportionately affected by gendered violence, we also acknowledge that these same systems of power can further stigmatize and isolate male survivors. Queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming survivors also face unique barriers and circumstances.
This inclusive feminist perspective is a thread woven through all of WIT: our service delivery, our management style, and our collaborations.
