Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Application

Asian Pacific Women's Center's Transitional Housing Program provides shelter, social services, and referrals to women and their children who have been out of an abusive relationship for more than one month. Please complete a version of the application listed above and either mail or fax it to:

Asian Pacific Women's Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd. 1st Floor, Suite 102
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 250-2977
Fax: (213) 250-2949

Safe Affordable Housing
The shelter is a confidential building with strict requirements regarding access. We designed the shelter with special security features, e.g., an enclosed courtyard and secured adjacent parking lot. Unlike traditional shelters which usually allow a stay of six to 12 months with dormitory-style housing, Asian Pacific Women's Center (APWC) provides a maximum 18 months with individual apartment-style housing in a residential neighborhood in order to help the clients to rebuild their lives in a setting that closely resembles life in the general community. Clients are required to participate in a monthly savings program as part of their self-sufficiency plan, as long as they have monthly income.

Tools for Financial Independence
The key to successful transition out of our shelter is to carefully design an education, job training and job placement program for each client. We refer our clients to existing job training programs and job skill evaluation programs, e.g., Women at Work, the Pacific Asian Consortium for Employment, Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), for career evaluation and development programs, and nearby adult schools for GED, ESL and basic computer training courses. For example, after finishing DOR's career evaluation and development program, one of our clients has begun attending the Certified Nursing Assistant/ Home Health Aid (CNA/HHA) Program at Los Angeles Technology Center, Division of Adult and Career Education. This client finished this CAN/HHA program and has been working as a nurse at a hospital.

Psychological Support
We have a dedicated family advocate with an MSW degree who works with the families to develop a comprehensive and individualized supportive service plan for each family member after they enter our program and finish their initial assessment. Clients and their children receive support through empowerment skills, education, and counseling services. The Family Advocate also works closely with the clients' counselors/therapists and community-based organizations, such as Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Chinatown Service Center, Little Tokyo Service Center, Thai Community Development Center, and Korean American Family Service Center, to assist our residents in overcoming the multiple barriers they face. The multiple barriers include language, unfamiliarity with the culture, immigration status issues, emotional and psychological problems due to the battering, and family law problems. This is APWC's unique model of linguistic accessibility and cultural sensitivity of supportive services.

Additional Services
Through collaborative efforts with existing organizations we are able to provide our clients with referral services to meet additional critical needs, including medical, welfare and legal assistance. Examples of our participating organizations include the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (our administrative offices are located in the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's headquarters), T.H.E. Clinic for Women, Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Chinatown Service Center, Western Region Asian Pacific Agency (WRAP) of the Assistance League of Southern California, and Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers.

Our success is measured in terms of how many women/children we have assisted in reaching psychological and financial independence.