Who We Are

Expansive offerings

The YW serves individuals and families in the region through programs offered from several sites, including locations in Holyoke, Northampton, Springfield, and Westfield. The YW also operates an 11-acre campus at 1 Clough Street in Springfield that provides shelter to battered women and their children in a modern facility with state-of-the-art computerized security.

Current programming includes workforce development, domestic violence/sexual abuse (DV/SA) counseling and advocacy, parent and youth support, human trafficking support, homelessness services, court advocacy, medical advocacy, supervised visitation, and a 24/7 DV/SA crisis hotline. Additionally, given its longstanding history and leadership in the area, the YWCA has a well-established network of providers that can provide out-of-scope services to clients.

Leadership that reflects the diversity of those served

The YW leads by example, hiring Hampden County women, many of whom hold multiple marginalized identities. A common practice at the YW is to promote from within. We prioritize the creation of a workforce that reflects the multi-racial, multi-ethnic, richly diverse region. The agency’s Board of Directors, leadership team, and direct service staff represent the community served. Among the agency’s 145 employees, 71 percent identify as persons of color, many of whom hold leadership positions. The current structure also includes persons with lived experience at every level. This sets a powerful precedent, giving a platform to previously disempowered persons to make meaningful changes across the individual and community levels.