Made with
Your session has expired. Please start again, and enter your payment information within 60 minutes to continue.
Since 1977, WomenShelter of Long Beach has helped thousands of families overcome the trauma caused by domestic abuse. WSLB assists victims and their children by providing safe housing and supportive services including an emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, social services support, legal and health advocacy, and much more.
•••••
The mission of WSLB is to eliminate domestic violence through compassionate intervention, education and personal empowerment.
WSLB will be recognized as a premier organization that fosters a community free from domestic violence. Due to our efforts, families, individuals, and future generations will have the awareness, tools, education, and support to form and maintain violence-free relationships. WSLB will inspire others to eliminate domestic violence in their communities.
WomenShelter was founded in 1977 by Dr. Virginia Corbett, a psychologist and activist who became frustrated when she realized that her clients, who were victims of domestic violence, had no place to go when they wanted to leave their batterers. She donated a 4-bedroom, 11-bed house that was used as the first supportive housing facility. Staffed by a dedicated group of women, WSLB was a safe haven for women and their children.
During the ‘80s and ‘90s, WomenShelter began offering individual counseling, group counseling, and other support groups in community centers, including Houghton Park in North Long Beach and St. Mary Medical Center in downtown Long Beach. There was a need for permanent offices for outreach and administration, but resources weren’t available, so the agency continued serving the community in collaboration with other organizations such as the YWCA of Long Beach.
In 1999, WSLB opened its innovative community-based resource center to provide easily accessible outreach services to victims of domestic violence in the community. The Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC) was the first such facility in the Greater Long Beach area. The DVRC is a place where survivors and victims of any background can come and receive non-judgmental, compassionate services, and work on empowering themselves.