Company Profile
YWCA of Helena
Company Overview
MISSION: YWCA Helena is dedicated to the national YWCA mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The YWCA Helena was founded in 1911 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing women safe, affordable housing and assistance in accessing available community resources. It is part of the YWCA Northwest Regional Council and YWCA USA.
STRATEGIC GOALS
Goal I Help women stabilize their housing and improve their lives.
• Provide safe, affordable transitional housing
• Help women improve their financial stability
• Empower women by providing opportunities for them to improve their life- and job-readiness skills
Goal II Maintain and restore the YWCA building
• Increase comfort and utility
• Increase safety and maintenance
• Increase energy efficiency
• Restore historic architectural character and comply with codes current ADA laws
Goal III Achieve financial stability
• Operate under a balanced budget
• Create a comprehensive income plan
• Establish a Social Enterprise (SE) Business
• Maximize use of commercial spaces
Goal IV: Build and enhance productive partnerships
• Foster working partnerships with other community agencies
• Participate actively in the YWCA Northwest Region and YWCA National
Company History
The YWCA of Helena is dedicated to providing women and their children with safe, affordable transitional housing and services. The organization achieved non-profit, 501(c)(3) status in 1911. Founded in 1906 by a concerned group of Helena women, the YWCA initially focused on the well being of young women arriving in the Capitol City in search of employment and educational opportunities. The present masonry YWCA building at 501 North Park was constructed entirely with private donations for the YWCA, with the doors opening in 1919. The donated land upon which the three-story, single-room residential building stands bears a deed restriction limiting the use of the property to the care of “women and children in need.”
Over the years, the common profile of residents of the YWCA of Helena has changed from aspiring, young professional women to financially destitute women of wide-ranging age, many with special needs such as mental illness, post-traumatic stress syndrome, chemical dependency, and prior criminal histories. In addition to providing transitional housing programs, the YWCA of Helena strives to assist residents in gaining solid footing as they move toward stability, independence and self-support.