Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent, Inc. (W.O.M.A.N., Inc.), a community-based, multi-service agency, was created in 1978 as a two bedroom shelter for battered women. The organization quickly realized that additional options were needed by women who, for many reasons, did not want to enter shelters. In 1979, the Crisis-Line was created, and immediately began receiving approximately 25-30 calls per month -- we now receive over 18,000 a year! Soon after the Crisis-Line was instituted, the agency also began providing individual counseling and support groups.

In 1984, W.O.M.A.N., Inc. developed the first program in the country to address Woman-to-Woman abuse issues; and, in the same year, became a founding member of the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, which enables women to obtain a restraining order to protect her from her batterer. The Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic continues to provide this service to this day.

In 1991, W.O.M.A.N., Inc. joined forces with the Asian Women's Shelter and San Francisco Women Against Rape to create the Sister to Sister Program, which continues to provide a joint pool of multi-lingual support advocates to callers.

W.O.M.A.N., Inc., though no longer a shelter, continues to provide services for women and children in San Francisco and the larger Bay Area. In recognizing that domestic violence is connected to other forms of oppression, W.O.M.A.N., Inc.'s mission is to confront all violence against women, including the following forms of personal and institutional violence: domestic violence, sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, ageism, and able-bodyism.

This mission is pursued through the primary goals of assisting battered women and their children in securing safety, and in building stable, violence-free lives. Please read more about our Programs and Services to learn more about how we achieve these goals.

Want to work with us? Please visit our job postings to see current openings in our office.

If you're interested in volunteering, or would like to learn more about other ways to help us, please visit our Donate/Volunteer page. Your help can make all the difference in someone's life!