The Center for Women in Transition, The Center, CWT or CWIT ... Whatever name you know us by, our agency exists to empower women and their children.   The agency provides housing and supportive services for families experiencing homelessness or who are victims of domestic violence.   The Center has a long history of service in Champaign-Urbana, and we continue our work in our community by expanding the services we provide.

We receive funding from a variety of state, federal and local government agencies.   In addition to these traditional funding sources, we have strong local support from individuals, businesses, churches, social groups and civic organizations who foster our mission.  Private donations from these sources account for over twelve percent (12%) of our annual income, and are critical to the ability of The Center to meet annual expenses.

In the current Fiscal Year 2011 (July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011) we have provided services to 512 individuals, including 142 children.  Of those 512 individuals receiving services, 246 were residents in one of our five (5) houses.  The Center’s annual budget is currently $1.6 million, which means the average annual cost of residential services is $6,700 per individual, or $558 per month.  Besides meeting the  physical needs of housing and food, The Center’s residential services include advocacy, case management, financial counseling, life skills, transportation, support groups, children’s services and tutoring, job placement, family and individual support, and follow-up services.  Staff at The Center also collaborate with local social service organizations to provide educational assistance, employment services, mental health services and professional counseling. 

Every year The Center and other social service agencies in the community struggle to find resources for other individuals and families that are under-served:  

• There is no year-round emergency homeless shelter in Champaign-Urbana for women and children.  From January through April, The Center works with a local church to operate an Emergency Women’s Shelter, but arrangements have to be made to house the children elsewhere for the evening.  Mothers and their children are separated every evening.

• We have no programs in Champaign-Urbana to house women with a male child over the age of 14.  None of the programs have enough space to provide privacy for families with an “adult” male.  Again, women are forced to separate from their children for overnight shelter and services.

• There are no facilites in Champaign-Urbana to house homeless intact families.  Families are forced to split up between multiple facilities in order to be able to utilize temporary housing services.