Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. is the only nationally accredited, state-certified, full service domestic violence center serving Broward County.

Our mission is to provide victims of domestic violence with safe shelter, crisis intervention and resources, and to educate the community in order to Stop Abuse For Everyone (SAFE) through Intervention, Education and Advocacy. We strive to accomplish this mission by offering services that include 24-hour crisis intervention through our hotline and emergency shelter, counseling and support for victims and their children at various locations throughout Broward County, as well as, education and professional trainings on domestic violence and related topics. 

Women In Distress believes that each survivor of domestic violence has the right to a safe, secure home and the capability to self-determine their violence free future. That is why we center our efforts in providing an environment that will help the victims recover from the traumatic effects of victimization and develop an understanding and awareness of the dynamics of domestic violence by empowering them to gain independence and self-sufficiency.

Women In Distress currently operates a 62 bed emergency shelter with plans to expand to 100 beds in the fall of 2010, an outreach center (Jim & Jan Moran Family Center), and a thrift store (Blooming Sales). Women In Distress' programs and services are divided into Residential Services, Outreach Services and Social Change.

In an effort to provide the highest quality care for the families we serve, Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. is committed to a plan for ongoing quality improvement. The Performance Quality Improvement Plan is designed to systematically gather information from stakeholders for the purposes of planning and assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and customer satisfaction. The goals are to determine causes and provide solutions while the processes replicate best practice models, are strength-based and encourage management of programs in ways that maximize performance while minimizing costs. To learn more about WID’s comprehensive 2009-2010 Performance & Quality Improvement Action Plan, please Click Here.

History

Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. (WID) was founded by Edee Greene and a group of concerned citizens in July of 1974 as Broward County's first refuge for homeless women in a modest four-bedroom home until a local tragedy brought light to the need for shelter for women and children in danger. Shortly after, the agency's founders were able to purchase a 54-bed shelter with generous contributions from Dr. Kona and Ruth Simon, and Walter and Peg Griffith, later expanding to 62 beds with a gift of a second 8-bed shelter from Lorraine Thomas. Women In Distress was now able to offer crisis shelter and support to victims of domestic violence and their children.

In November 1995, the doors of the Jim & Jan Moran Family Center opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Family Center instantly increased WID's visibility, accessibility and capacity to serve more families. In 1999, Janet A. Boyle established a $1 million endowment for Women In Distress that will ensure the future operations of our organization. Mrs. Boyle's generosity has established a legacy benefiting Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc., its participants, and employees for future generations.

In 2006, our Social Change Department was inaugurated with the goals to educate, change perceptions, and advocate non-violent standards of behavior, ultimately resulting in domestic violence being considered unacceptable. Now, in its fourth year, it continues to expand existing partnerships and create new collaborations throughout Broward County in order to continually meet these goals. In 2007, Women In Distress received a an AmeriCorps grant to expand social change activities and provide 20 full time AmeriCorps Members dedicated to domestic violence prevention and education awareness activities in Broward County.

Today, WID is expanding again in order to meet the increased needs of the community. In December 2008, Women In Distress purchased a 6.4 acre site with a complex of buildings. After extensive renovations that are currently underway, this will become the new consolidated Jim and Jan Moran Family Center Campus of Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. It will house all of our operations - administrative, outreach, counseling, and more importantly, provide more emergency shelter beds in one secure location. Capital expansion efforts will increase shelter beds from 62 to 100, with additional capacity to provide as many as 132 beds in the future.