YWCA of Rochester &
Monroe County
175 North Clinton Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604
585-546-5820
Fax: 585-546-1077
News & Events
YWCA Receives $12,500 Grant from M&T Bank
It is estimated that one third of American children enter kindergarten without the language skills necessary to succeed in the classroom. The chances are even slimmer for the children of teen mothers. Given the correlation between the educational success of teen mothers and the academic achievements of the next generation, a recent $12,500 grant by the M&T Bank will improve the odds for hundreds of local families. The grant will benefit the YWCA’s Young Parents Support Services program, including literacy activities for the children of teen mothers served by the YWCA. Read More...
ABVI-Goodwill is a Good Neighbor to the YWCA
The YWCA is pleased to be one of several local nonprofit agencies taking part in ABVI-Goodwill’s Good Neighbor Program. ABVI-Goodwill has donated $2,500 to the organization in the form of gift cards to be distributed to program participants, giving them the opportunity to obtain needed items at local Goodwill stores at no cost. ABVI-Goodwill will also periodically donate much-needed items such as children’s apparel and baby items to the YWCA throughout the year. Read More...
News ArchiveHelping Women and Families
The YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County has been a beacon of help and hope for local women and families since 1883. Today, our programs focus on providing support for pregnant and parenting teens and their babies, and on offering a continuum of housing for women in need of all ages and family situations.
View our Celebrated Women page.
Rochester Women’s Giving Circle Awards Grant to Help Young Mothers Graduate
This June, amid the graduation ceremonies taking place at local high school and college campuses, the Rochester Women’s Giving Circle has awarded the YWCA’s Young Parents Support Services Program a $7,500 grant to help fund on-site case management services for pregnant and parenting teens to help them stay in school.
With 39 members, the Rochester Women’s Giving Circle Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Rochester Area Community Foundation, awards thousands in grants each year in support of programs that have a direct impact on the well-being of women and girls, including programs that are likely to help women and girls achieve economic independence. School-based programs, like the YWCA’s Young Parents Support Services, have been shown to be a critical success factor in improving academic achievement, which improves lifelong earnings potential.
School-based programs allow for the frequency of face-to-face contact essential for supporting young mothers’ social and emotional growth, for monitoring any health issues that may arise, and for helping teens build the support networks necessary to navigate the challenges of early parenting. School-based programs also allow case managers to go beyond scheduled appointments and activities and provide both formal and informal support. In the lunchroom, the halls, or in the classroom, YWCA case managers are a consistent, supportive presence in young mothers’ lives.
Women’s Foundation Grant Helps Teen Parents Find Careers
A recent publication by the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley notes that half of the households headed by women do not earn enough to cover basic living expenses.
Here at the YWCA, we know that the odds of living in poverty are even higher for teen mothers.
The Foundation has awarded the YWCA’s Young Parents School-to-Work program a $10,000 grant to provide intensive career support to pregnant or parenting teens on five City School campuses. The program offers career exploration and planning,as well as job-readiness skills, and culminates in an internship providing hands-on work experience.
The YWCA was the only agency funded by the Foundation’s Girls’ Grant-Making Committee in this grant cycle. The teens review grant applications, visit applicant sites, and select the agencies that will receive grants. The teens also work with the grantees throughout the year, gaining additional experience.
Community Foundation Grant Helps Homeless Children
Last year, almost 600 women and children secured safe and supportive housing critical for building successful futures through the YWCA's residential programs.
Our thanks to The Community Foundation for a recent $9,983 grant to expand the capacity of our Emergency Housing program from 13 to 21 beds. This expansion will enable the program to serve an additional 86 women and children each year.
As unemployment and foreclosures continue to increase, so too will homelessness and the need for emergency housing. The demand is becoming greater than current capacity. If no beds are available at agencies like the YWCA, many women and children are placed in hotels, often in unsafe neighborhoods. Based on the correlation between homelessness and domestic violence, abuse, and trauma, hotels are simply not safe alternatives.
Intensive support services provided as part of the YWCA’s program also help homeless women build the support networks necessary to find and maintain affordable, long-term housing.