YWCA Mahoning Valley

YWCA Mahoning Valley is a non-profit agency on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Formed by the 2018 merger of two YWCA entities - one established in 1904 in Youngstown, and the other created in 1916 in Warren - our legacy of service extends over a century.
YWCA Mahoning Valley is a unique organization led by women who actively seek collaborations and assume partnership and leadership roles on issues affecting women, children, and families. Programs have molded over the years to meet the needs of those we serve in our community. Our main program areas include (1) housing with supportive services, (2) childcare and youth development programming, (3) empowerment programming, and (4) racial justice advocacy and civil rights. Justice and equity drive our work. We are focused on improving the quality of life of those we serve in our community by offering assistance to those in need and removing barriers to reduce disparities for women, children, and families. While we primarily serve women and families who identify as low-income and minority households, as well as women with disabilities, we aim to reach all women in the community with our programs and services. However, we do not discriminate against men; men access our housing with supportive services and participate in our adult education programs.

The YWCA has been at the forefront of addressing the changing needs of our community. Our four main program areas focus on improving the quality of life for the Mahoning Valley households whom we serve. Following provides a brief overview of these four core areas.
• Housing with Supportive Services: Housing is a Social Determinant of Health. By providing the basic of quality housing, families and individuals can succeed. We have seen lives changed through these programs. Families have been reunified, babies are born at full birth weight and children are succeeding in school. YWCA housing programs in Youngstown include Transitional, Permanent Supportive and Veteran housing for low income and homeless individuals with or without families. The WINGS program at Warren provides permanent supportive housing for female-headed households with a disability that puts them at risk of homelessness. A priority is given to those previously experiencing Domestic Violence. Supportive services include rental assistance, case management, life skills training, and referrals to mental and physical health services, transportation help and follow-up care. To address the shortage of affordable housing in the valley, YWCA provides 5 units of affordable housing at our Kensington Liberation Station housing. A new affordable housing project located on the North side of Youngstown offers affordable housing to mixed population at 80% of annual median income. It has five 2-bedroom units and 1 ADA unit.

• Childcare and Youth Development Programming: Youth program includes Early Care and Education licensed preschool program serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Early Care and Education provides early STEAM curriculum to ensure that young children have the proper support to begin kindergarten at a developmentally appropriate level and to guarantee their success in kindergarten and beyond. Over the past two year, YWCA has been offering free Transitional Childcare to infants and their siblings for up to six weeks. In collaboration with Mahoning County Pathways HUB, this initiative is aimed at giving new mothers the crucial time they need to begin job hunting or continue their education. Once they have secured employment or enrollment, our staff further supports them in applying for JFS benefits.

• Empowerment Programming: Empowerment programs focus on Economic Empowerment and Leadership Development. For 33 years, the Young Women with Bright Futures program has celebrated and nurtured the leadership skills of women and girls, while also providing educational scholarships. The nationally participated juried art show, Women Artists: A Celebration!, now in its 44th year, offers a platform for women to exhibit and sell their art. This event also awards artists selected by the juror and recognizes women’s contributions to the arts, raising funds for the Housing Programs.

• Racial Justice & Civil Rights: YWCA is committed to providing opportunities for education and outreach for Racial Justice and equity. In addition to direct programming, we advocate for justice and equity at the intersections of race and gender. We educate our community about public policy issues affecting people of color and women to increase local civic engagement. Our annual Until Justice Just Is campaign builds community among those who work for racial justice and raises awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities. An annual 21-day Racial Justice challenge and quarterly webinars geared towards creating paths to bring about equity are also provided. A new educational program, Youth for Peace, works on educating the middle and high school kids conflict resolution, peace and resiliency.
YWCA serves over 4,000 individuals annually through our established program areas and additional special events and programs such as Y’s Women, International Women’s Day Event, Until Justice Just Is events, lunch and learn series, 21-Day Racial Justice Reading Challenge, Week Without Violence event, Art Show, and rental spaces. Typically, we serve 25% males and 60% females, with 15% unknown. The Racial distribution averages at 25% white and 75% Bipoc population. Some data remains unreported. Through our programs and services, YWCA targets the marginalized, minority and underserved population in all our program areas.