Will you help women like Estelle* and Joy* today?

Domestic violence takes all forms. It’s not only men, spouses, or even romantic partners who perpetrate against those they know. And it can happen to anyone.

Take Estelle’s* story. She married her high school sweetheart, had a family, and lived happily in the town where she grew up. Sounds perfect, right?

It was until her husband passed away. And providing for her daughter Joy* became a years-long struggle complicated by Estelle’s disabling disease.

Estelle and her adult daughter relocated out of state to a more affordable town and took up residence in a rental home owned by a woman they believed they could trust. Then the manipulation, gaslighting, game-playing, and mental and verbal abuse began.

After trying to leave multiple times, the situation escalated dangerously. The “friend” slashed their tires, but Joy had Gorilla Tape and an air compressor. She quickly repaired the tires, and she and her mother fled.

Unfortunately, Estelle and Joy’s story isn’t unique. You can help others like them today.

The effects of the pandemic on domestic violence show no signs of letting up, even as communities get back to a new normal. YWCA Cortland continues to see dramatically increased needs for victims’ services to help women like Estelle and Joy.

Can we count on you to support women like Estelle and Joy with a gift for the YWCA Cortland 2023 Annual Giving Campaign?

We know you understand the importance of all the services we provide in our community. And your support of the Annual Giving Campaign gives us the most flexibility to address community needs as they arise.

After driving about 200 miles on hastily mended tires, Estelle and Joy returned to New York with only the possessions they could grab quickly from the rental house. They knew no one until they found YWCA Cortland’s Aid to Victims of Violence (AVV) program.

AVV housed Estelle and Joy through its emergency shelter service for an extended period while they diligently tried to find permanent housing to meet their needs; nothing was available. Then they received the best news possible after all they had endured.

AVV had begun helping women domestic violence survivors and their children secure rental apartments in a new 25-unit permanent supportive housing project. In the works for six years through a partnership with Christopher Community, Inc., the Grace Brown House allowed our YWCA to expand services, outreach, and programming to support clients in their critical transition to permanent housing and independence from their abusers.

While Estelle and Joy have safely begun the next phase of their lives in affordable apartments of their own, other survivors in our community need access to AVV services.

Can we count on your gift today to continue providing services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes?

Your support of the Annual Giving Campaign builds a sustainable foundation that funds our efforts to seek creative solutions to community needs.