Thank you for joining our mission in 2021:
In a year that challenged us all with new opportunities and obstacles, together we built community, advocated for change, and moved closer than ever towards a shared language of equity and justice in this world.
The pandemic has cost us so much. We've largely passed the point of being able to truly comprehend the physical toll, the family loss, and the generational earthquake of economic impact this has created, but we do know someone, maybe it's you, who has left their job because of childcare needs.
We all know someone—maybe it's you—who braved unfair and unsafe conditions to work and support their family.
We all know someone—maybe it's you—who has stayed in a bad living situation because there was no safer alternative or who lost their housing when rent was raised.
None of this is justice.
But we know what justice can be, because we're building it together. We are committed to working with you, centering voices of justice, and learning along the way. We couldn’t do it without you. We are fearless together.
We will keep working until justice Just Is.
Until Justice Just Is living free from sexual assault and violence,
YWCA Lancaster will continue to work across disciplines and sectors to support practical solutions to protect survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and eradicate all forms of gender-based violence. For more than 30 years, we have been proud to collaborate with community members across Lancaster County to provide direct services to survivors, increase awareness about the realities of gender-based violence, and advocate for ways to stop it.
Until Justice Just Is safe and affordable childcare for all,
YWCA Lancaster will continue the work of providing vital programs like Early Head Start, Pre-K, and other opportunities to build community to hundreds of students across Lancaster County who are economically, linguistically, or socially disadvantaged.
Until Justice Just Is living in safety and stable housing at all stages of life,
YWCA Lancaster will continue to offer affordable housing to low-to-moderate-income single women, children, and men during transitional periods of their lives. Starting this year, we’re proud to begin work on YForward, a capital project to expand and upgrade these services to more community members than ever before.
Until justice Just Is a clear path to equitable employment,
YWCA Lancaster will continue to support the goals and dreams of PA residents in transition to achieve economic self-sufficiency through personal development, career guidance, and job training. Co-sponsored by the YWCA Lancaster in its inception 30 years ago, New Choices Career Development Program has returned to the YWCA Lancaster and is connecting students and alumni to resources, relationships, and more.
2021 Financial Information:
We're on a mission with you.
And we're only getting started.
YForward is the future of YWCA Lancaster. This capital project aims to enhance and expand the YWCA Lancaster's affordable and crisis housing by building upon its historic commitment to the broader Lancaster community. This plan matches the county's priorities as identified in both the Lancaster City Consolidated Action Plan (2021-2025) and Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan, coined "places2040". Both plans prioritize maintaining and increasing affordable, quality and safe housing.
YForward will add 16 residential units to the existing 38 residential units and add an additional, ADA-compliant, interior elevator to handle increased traffic and accommodate ambulance stretchers, as well as a brand new space for our Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center.
YWCA Lancaster has teamed up with with PolicyLink, as well as community partners across the sector to create the first county-wide racial equity profile in Pennsylvania. The profile will be released in early May, 2022!
At YWCA Lancaster, we demand a world of equity and human decency. At a time when women and people of color's livelihood, safety, and personhood is being challenged, we envision a world of opportunity and community for all to be their fullest selves. We commit ourselves to the work of speaking out for racial justice, and we will continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.