BOISE, Idaho — The Women and Children's Alliance (WCA) announced they received a $5,000 grant from the Gladys E. Langroise Advised Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation.
The money will be used to support the emergency and transitional shelter program.
WCA projects the program will house more than 120 children exposed to domestic and/or sexual violence in 2021.
A news release from the WCA says research shows that more than 15 million children in the United States have been exposed to domestic violence at home at least once.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, Ada County 911 has had an 11.4% increase in calls for service related to child abuse, according to the WCA.
“Children who witness domestic violence or are victims of abuse themselves are at risk for long-term physical and mental health problems — lasting even into adulthood,” says Bev La Chance, WCA Grants Director “The WCA provides the tools for healing those impacted by the trauma of abuse and to break the generational cycle of abuse.”
The WCA says it has had 24 emergency intakes into the shelter since March 2020, more than four times the average number of that in 2019 and previous years.
"When you have an emergency intake, that means the lethality of the situation is very high," La Chance explains.
Safe shelter was provided to women and children for a total of 11,132 safe bed nights, according to the WCA.
In addition to safe shelter, the WCA offers childcare, counseling, case management, court advocacy, life skills classes, financial education, and various other integrated services and programs to women, men, and children victimized by abuse.
"The services provided by the WCA are really powerful. They're game-changers in our community and amazing advocates for their clients," said Cara Nielsen, with the Idaho Community Impact Foundation.
