Women Helping Women (WHW) was founded in 1973 by three University of Cincinnati students who were frustrated by the lack of assistance available to women suffering from rape, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence at the time. More than fifty years later, WHW remains dedicated to preventing gender-based violence and empowering all survivors, providing critical resources and support to those in need. In 2024, WHW provided nearly 37,000 crisis responses to almost 8,500 survivors.

Providing Safety in Real Time: The Francis Garber Pepper Survivor Equity Fund

In addition to physical danger, gender-based violence can shatter a survivor’s sense of safety, stability, and access to critical resources. The economic fallout of violence and trauma is often devastating—when survivors lack the financial means to secure safe shelter, their risk of repeated victimization or even homicide increases dramatically.

Recognizing this urgent need, WHW established the Francis Garber Pepper Survivor Equity Fund. This fund delivers immediate assistance to survivors by covering emergency expenses such as rental support, hotel stays, relocation and moving costs, utility payments, lock changes, and more. By removing financial barriers, the Survivor Equity Fund ensures that survivors are not forced to choose between poverty and safety when they are at their most vulnerable.

The Impact of an SFIF Grant: An Investment in Survivors

In 2024, the Scripps Family Impact Fund awarded a $513,000 grant to WHW, dedicating the full amount to the Francis Garber Pepper Survivor Equity Fund. This critical funding enabled WHW to deliver direct financial assistance and safety resources to survivors of gender-based violence.

Last year alone, the Survivor Equity Fund supported 1,049 survivors through a low-barrier, rapid-response process. With the Scripps grant and other resources, the fund provided:

• Eviction prevention for 355 families
• 810 overnight hotel stays for 188 families
• 247 shopping cards for groceries and essentials
• Over 900 ride share rides to and from court or other urgent appointments
• 171 bus passes, supporting survivors’ autonomy in travel and safety planning
• 94 self-care kits to help meet basic needs with dignity
• Support for 1,613 children with clothing, diapers, formula, shoes, food, toys, and transportation

This comprehensive support ensures that survivors and their families have immediate access to safety, stability, and the essentials they need to begin rebuilding their lives.

Overcoming Decades of Abuse: One Survivor’s Story

Women Helping Women and the Survivor Equity Fund strive to meet survivors where they are and stand by them throughout their journey to safety and healing. One example is a rural survivor who, after more than 20 years of abuse, contacted law enforcement for the first time. Following her discharge from the hospital, SEF provided immediate, temporary shelter for her and her children.

Once a more permanent residence was secured, SEF funding covered deposits for utilities, as well as essential appliances and cleaning supplies. This support ensured she and her children could start a new life in safety—free from fear and able to look forward with hope.

The Ultimate Goal: Generational Transformation

The Francis Garber Pepper Survivor Equity Fund is one of the few funds of its kind, dedicated to providing immediate safety for women and their families at risk. WHW’s work through the SEF demonstrates how urgently this support is needed.

The numbers are sobering: Survivors who lack access to emergency housing or financial assistance are far more likely to return to unsafe environments or become homeless. Black women, in particular, face disproportionate risks—they experience gender-based violence at rates 35% higher than white women and are three times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner. For Black women aged 15–35, gender-based violence is the leading cause of death.

WHW believes that providing immediate support and safety for survivors creates lasting change—not just for individuals, but for entire families and communities. By breaking the cycle of violence, survivors and their children can build lives defined by stability, dignity, and hope.

Forward with Hope: The Future of Women Helping Women

Women Helping Women has embarked on a bold three-year plan to serve 50,000 survivors through flexible, survivor-centered support.

As housing and utility costs continue to rise, the Survivor Equity Fund works tirelessly to combat housing insecurity and other systemic barriers to safety and stability. Thanks to support from the Scripps Family Impact Fund, the long-term vision is to provide up to six months of housing and utility assistance, as well as debt relief to help survivors stabilize or establish credit.

Survivors also receive essential wraparound services, including safety planning, legal advocacy, counseling referrals, and case management. This holistic, trauma-informed approach is essential to ensuring not only immediate safety, but long-term healing and recovery for survivors and their families.