A not-for-profit membership association, YWCA Hartford Region is part of the world's largest and oldest multi-racial women's movement and is the third oldest affiliate of YWCA USA.

Committed to creating opportunities one woman at a time, YWCA serves Greater Hartford with vital programs, including early learning and school-age childcare; emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing; child abuse prevention; youth leadership development; racial justice awareness; and financial literacy education. Serving 2,300 people annually, we are a recognized advocate on issues related to safety for women and their families, economic empowerment, racial justice, youth development and affordable childcare.

YWCA continues to develop programs and services that improve life for women and girls and contribute to economic and redevelopment efforts for the Greater Hartford area. These programs include:

• Soromundi Commons is an innovative supportive housing facility that opened in July 2005. Soromundi includes a 23-bed capacity emergency shelter for women, 13 transitional efficiency units and 35 permanent affordable apartments. This premier housing model provides a continuum of care at one site to help the at-risk and homeless move toward self-sufficiency. 
• The Money Conference for Women is a partnership with the Connecticut State Treasurer's Office. Each fall, 500+ participants from across the state participate in this free conference by financial experts.
• YWCA is a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. During the 2008 tax preparation season, we served 125 clients at the Community Learning Center in Soromundi Commons. VITA is a program set up by the IRS to help low-income individuals file their tax returns and understand the tax benefits available to them. 
• Stand Against Racism is a movement initiated by YWCA in 2008 to raise awareness that racism still exists in our communities and that it cannot be ignored or tolerated. Our objective is to bring organizations together, who believe as we do, that united we can eliminate racism.
• Teens as Successful Parents program partners with schools to offer services to young parents in East Hartford and Manchester. The program is designed to ensure teen mothers graduate from high school and are ready for college or a career while learning to be good parents. While young parents attend school, their children are cared for in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. Teen parents strengthen their attachments and participate in parenting activities.
• Young women in grades 7 through 12 meet each week after school 90-minute sessions to discover -- and connect with -- a world outside their own. Through community service projects, guest speakers and educational workshops, young women in the Young Women's Leadership Corps learn about wellness, personal safety, money management and sexual decision-making, gain communication and job readiness skills, explore college/career possibilities and more.
  

YWCA Hartford Region Video:

View more videos on YWCA Hartford Region's You Tube Channel