WOMEN AND CHILDRENS HORIZONS INC
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Mission Statement
The mission of Women and Children's Horizons is to provide support, shelter, education, training and healing services to victims of sexual and domestic abuse, their families and the community.
About This Cause
Women and Children’s Horizons was incorporated in 1976 and is the oldest incorporated shelter and services provider for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Wisconsin. The agency is also one of the first in the United States, having started before enactment of the federal Violence Against Women Act in 1977, and at the advent of the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1970s. Two Kenoshan women, Joann Rattan and Carol Merrick, incorporated the agency in 1976. They had been seeing women as mental health professionals and hearing about the family violence, and the lack of resources, those clients experienced for years prior to. They then started meeting as groups in local restaurants. At the time, there was no emergency shelter for battered women, and neither the city nor the county provided one. So, they started their own. They were disturbed by statistics which showed the undeniable seriousness of domestic violence against women. Together with twenty two other women and men, they set up WCH's first 24 hour crisis line in April 1976, called Action Center. With just one radio spot announcement and a phone number listing in the local paper, Action Center received over 50 calls within a 24 hour period. Recognizing the strong community need, the group legally incorporated in October 1976. Their original mission was: “To raise the consciousness of the community to recognize the incidence of wife beating. To aid battered women in immediate danger. To establish an emergency shelter for battered women and their children. To provide support services not provided in the community. To end further violence against women.” On January 18, 1977, the City of Kenosha granted $13,500 of Community Development Block Grant funds to set up a shelter and to provide emergency care and job training to abused women and their children. The agency officially opened its shelter in March 1977, at its first shelter located at 1630 56th Street. By January 1983, the community need for services grew so much that the agency moved to a duplex in the Fisk Subdivision, with a confidential shelter and a social services office. By May 31, 2007, the agency grew to its current three-building structure: a social services office at 2525 63rd Street, a rural office at 8607 Antioch Road in Salem Lakes, and an emergency shelter at a confidential location. By 2023, the agency has grown to include advocacy offices at the Kenosha Courthouse and the Kenosha District Attorney’s Office, a 16,000 square foot thrift shop, Nifty Thrifty, and a group of transitional living apartments. WCH’s mission is to provide support, shelter, advocacy, education, training, and healing services to victims of sexual and domestic abuse, their families, their children (who are often primary or secondary victims), and the community. We envision communities fully engaged to provide safety and to give voice to all affected by domestic abuse and sexual assault, while creating the social change necessary to address its root causes. Our mission is achievable through survivor-centered work that includes strategic partnerships and collaboration. As advocates for social justice, we embrace the voices of diverse communities. We will consider any non-violent strategy that is consistent with our mission to prevent and eliminate domestic abuse and sexual abuse.