Shifting Narratives: The Strength of Women Survivorsportrays the journey, strength and resilience of women surviving homelessness, domestic violence, and human trafficking. While the City of Los Angeles is working to end homelessness, more than 31,000 individuals still experience homelessness of which more than 9,000 are women.
Women have unique stories and different needs when it comes to homelessness. Many are survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. When these women try to escape their violent environment they often have nowhere else to turn and are forced to become homeless or remain with their abuser. Specifically, an estimated 9,920 women experiencing homelessness are also survivors of domestic violence. In Los Angeles County, 3,050 homeless women report a history of sex trafficking, compared to 1,666 men.
As the number of women impacted remains high, the City of Los Angeles is committed to elevating the voices of survivors and listening with open hearts and minds to end homelessness together.
When someone asks, “why didn’t she leave,” we will ask, “where would she go if she did” and “why is someone causing harm”?
When someone says “it isn’t happening here” we will reply “it is happening right here in our backyards.”
This art exhibit is presented to you by a cohort of government and community groups committed to achieving gender equality in the City of Los Angeles and beyond. Preventing more women from becoming homeless requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that addresses the long-term effects of institutionalized and structural gender and racial discrimination. Through policies, programs, and services, the City of Los Angeles is working tirelessly to address factors such as the wage gap, occupational gender segregation, harassment and discrimination in the workplace, City contracting opportunities, discrimination in housing and employment opportunities, the gender-investment gap, and any gender-blind services that obstruct women’s opportunities and power to shape their own lives.
Organizers
The Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Monica Rodriguez, and the Los Angeles Housing & Community Investment Department.
Community Partners
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Downtown Women’s Center, Rainbow Services, Los Angeles City Domestic Violence Alliance, Women’s Voices Now, A Window Between Worlds, United Way of Greater Los Angeles & The Everyone In Campaign. A special thank you to Jody Baral, Department Chair, Art & Graphic Design, Mount Saint Mary’s University for curating the art exhibits.
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