Women Helping Women: Building safety and stability for violence survivors is a group effort

At Women Helping Women, we know we cannot do this work alone. Survivors cannot overcome the physical, emotional and financial toll of violence without systems of support. Again and again, we see how abuse disrupts stability, housing is lost, credit is damaged or wages are stolen.

The barriers are too significant for survivors to bear alone. When survivors are left without systems of support, the costs ripple through our community: higher rates of eviction, job loss and lost economic productivity. These are not just personal tragedies; they are community-wide setbacks.

That is why our community matters. That is why partnerships matter. The connections Women Helping Women has built across sectors, especially with corporate partners, are life-saving ecosystems. Together, we create the safety nets that survivors deserve.

Together, we remove barriers so survivors can reclaim stability and rebuild futures.

Violence does not end when the perpetrator is gone. It ends when survivors are safe. It ends when they have the means to pay rent, to buy groceries or to fix a broken car. It ends when survivors are empowered to heal, to live with dignity andto thrive. And that takes time. It takes courage. It takes support. It takes all of us.

On Oct. 21, Women Helping Women will host our 8th Annual Corporate Breakfast: Big Bets, Bold Ideas and Trust-Based Ecosystems. This gathering will bring together leaders across business and community sectors for a bold conversation about collaboration and the life-saving impact it creates for survivors of gender-based violence.

We will ask together: What does it mean to create systems of support that truly work? How do we move from intention to impact?

Safety and stability do not magically appear after a 911 call or a restraining order. They begin with ecosystems that remove barriers, one by one. They begin with collaboration. They begin with us.

When a corporation invests in survivor stability, they are investing in stronger employees, stronger families and stronger communities. It is a return on investment that benefits us all.

We invite you to join us at our October Corporate Breakfast — to show up for those who cannot, to add your voice to this essential conversation and to be part of the movement that invests in survivors’ futures.

Kristin Smith Shrimplin is the president and CEO of Women Helping Women with a focus on on social innovation, collaboration and impact. She has more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit leader with a strong focus on generating systems-based change through nuanced strategies of disruption and collaboration. Women Helping Women serves nearly 8,500 survivors of gender-based violence a year. Shrimplin also serves on the Board of the Human Services, Jewish Family Services and the HealthPath Foundation of Ohio.