After two years of deliberation, the Board of Trustees for the Hudson County YWCA has made the decision to disaffiliate from the YWCA of the U.S.A. This Hudson County social services and community economical agency has assumed a new name, WomenRising, Inc., which has been in effect since Jan. 1.
“It took a very long time, and the decision was faced by various Hudson County YWCA Board of Trustees over the years,” said WomenRising Co-Executive Director Jeanette D’Italia recently. “But the major issue that was talked about was the value of being affiliated.”
The Hudson County branch was the first urban YWCA to offer social and non-traditional services, and over time, the agency’s leaders found that the national YWCA organization gave them little or no support, they said. “Because of the population we’re serving, there were greater needs in the community like domestic violence and woman and children counseling,” said D’Italia. “By offering these services, we didn’t fit the YWCA’s cookie cutter mold. So we had to decide whether it was worth being part of a national organization that doesn’t respect the work we do.”
The national YWCA targets issues like child care and youth development, global awareness, racial justice and human rights. It’s a membership organization that requires dues from its affiliates, which was a criterion that the Hudson County branch had trouble meeting.
“For each $15 annual membership fee (that members gave to the YWCA), the national organization wanted us to give them $3, but we couldn’t afford to give them money when we needed funding for our programs,” said D’Italia.
In fact, most of the money that local YWCA raised was through donations and government funding, she said. “The national YWCA didn’t expect us to hand over our government funding, which was exempt and restricted from collection anyway, but they did ask us to do more fundraising and to collect more dues to help make our national YWCA quota,” said D’Italia. “So we were discouraged, because we couldn’t make them understand that Hudson County really doesn’t have a suburbia where we could conduct major fundraisers.”
The name game
When the disaffiliation vote passed at the end of last year, it was time for the local organization to come up with a new name.
“We wanted a name that represented what we we’re trying to do for the 2,500 women we serve each year,” said D’Italia. “All of our clients have strengths and barriers, and our staff teaches them how to use their strengths to rise above those barriers. Our new name is now reflective of what we’re about.”
But the name change also represents the agency’s freedom from a larger and more corporate organization.
“We’re excited about our new name, but we’re more excited that we are now able to direct all our income back into the community,” said Carol Trojan, president of WomenRising.
Programs and services
Although the name has changed, the agency’s mission, vision, services and programs have remained the same. In recent years, in addition to their core services such as running the only Battered Women’s Shelter in Hudson County, in-home family counseling and a group home for teen girls, the agency has added Community Economic Development programs. Some of the CED programs include Youth Entrepreneurship, Family Micro-Loan Financial Literacy and the Sectoral Initiative, which will provide training, advocacy and support services for women entering front desk and housekeeping positions in area hotels.
WomenRising boasts itself as the foremost social service and advocacy organization for women in the county. It is governed and managed by women, and helps women and their families achieve self-sufficiency and live safe, fulfilling and productive lives by providing them with access to counseling, shelter, advocacy and childcare. “If it weren’t for our foremothers, we wouldn’t be here,” said D’Italia. “But times change. And despite the name change, we’re finding that isn’t really mattering.”
And the founder’s of WomenRising, Inc. have a statewide vision. Within the next five years, the agency hopes to expand and have locations in other counties as well.
For more information on WomenRising and their programs, call 333-5700.