YWCA Metro St. Louis

Improving the Lives of Individuals, Families, and Survivors!

• $35 can provide transportation for one woman to counseling, a job interview, class, or a court appearance for an Order of Protection
• $75 can provide response to a survivor of sexul assault in an emergency room from one Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) advocate, including a set of clean clothing to replace what was collected by nurses and police as evidence
• $103 can provide utility, transportation, or grocery assistance to one family for one week
• $298 can provide one week of Rapid Re-Housing for an individual fleeing domestic/sexual violence, human trafficking, or stalking
• $526 can provide two months of financial education, along with credit and asset building coaching, for one woman working to break the cycle of poverty
• $728 can provide one survivor of sexual violence with counseling, housing, and advocacy through the legal process
• $1,229 can support one child in our Head Start/Early Head Start program, providing them with high-quality education to give them a "head start" to kindergarten
• $2,020 can support one Successful Pathways® apprentice for 1,000 hours
  
  

YWCA provides vital services, at no cost, for individuals, families and survivors: crisis intervention and housing for victims of sexual and domestic violence, Head Start and Early Head Start education and services that support families, and programs that promote career readiness and economic stability.

Additionally, we are the only agency that provides holistic, wraparound services that sustain clients so they can complete our programs - rent/utility assistance, transportation, childcare, food and housing. Once they've successfully moved through our programs, we see stable families, healthy children and thriving communities.

On behalf of the 10,000+ women and families we serve annually, we thank you for your support!

Crisis Services
YWCA crisis services are rooted in safety. We have specially-trained therapists who treat the trauma of sexual assault, domestic violence, and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that often accompanies it. We are available to the survivors who need us at our Drop-In Center, and through our 24/7 Crisis Help Line. In 2025, 100% of our clients reported developing coping and stress management skills and resiliency through our counseling services.

Housing Services
YWCA housing services shelter individuals and families who are fleeing or homeless due to domestic/sexual violence, human trafficking, or stalking. In 2025, we helped create 59 safe households - an increase of 51% over 2024.

Head Start and Early Head Start
Head Start and Early Head Start (children ages 6 months to 5 years) provide high-quality education, childcare, and family support services to income-eligible families. As the largest Head Start grantee in the State of Missouri, YWCA’s Early Education mission is to equip children with the building blocks for lifetime success. In 2025, 1,239 children were served, with more than 90% either meeting or exceeding goals in social-emotional, gross motor, language, cognition, literacy and math skills.  

Economic Empowerment/CREED
CREED (Career Readiness, Economic Empowerment & Development) aims to break the cycle of poverty, helping women earn certifications or degrees in higher-paying vocations by removing barriers. YWCA helps pay for needs like transportation, childcare, health care, tuition, and more, allowing participants to focus on their studies. 

YWCA Metro St. Louis Successful Pathways® 
Our Department of Labor registered apprenticeship provides an accelerated opportunity to begin a career path in early education. Our paid apprentices receive instruction and work in classrooms with degreed teachers, with the goal of earning their CDA® (Child Development Associate) credential. YWCA's classrooms are fully staffed as a result of this program, and community childcare providers are now invited to participate as they work toward licensure.