Through the COVID-19 public health crisis, Women Aware succeeded in keeping our 24/7 hotline and emergency shelter open.

As always, our services evolved to meet survivors wherever they are in their journey beyond abuse. Pre-pandemic, when the need for emergency shelter for victims in Middlesex County surpassed our safe house capacity, we would collaborate with out-of-county domestic violence agencies to secure shelter for survivors. Today, staffing shortages and pandemic-related capacity restrictions prohibit many out-of-county shelters from providing refuge for Middlesex County’s homeless survivors and their children. Women Aware removed this barrier to supplemental shelter by launching our own hotel placement program, expanding the capacity of our safe house to 125% in 2021. We provided life-saving shelter to 250 women and children, more than ever before in a single year.

We continue to shelter victims in our safe house and in hotel placements as the need for Women Aware’s services in 2022 is outpacing that of 2021. You can help. Clients in hotel placement need financial support for the essentials of daily living, including transportation and food. Gift card donations provide that support. The most useful gift cards are: VISA, MasterCard, Uber, Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreen’s, ShopRite, Amazon and gas cards.

If you would like to donate, you can drop off gifts cards at 250 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm. You can also put gift cards in the mail to Women Aware, 250 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick ,NJ 08901. If you have questions, please call the Development Office at 732-249-4900 x 0428. Thank you.

It was a busy and insightful four weeks for participants in Women Aware’s 40-hour Domestic Violence Training. Most of the 30 participants were individuals interested in volunteering on Women Aware’s Domestic Violence Response Teams (DVRTs), while several Middlesex County Family Justice Center partners and Women Aware staff members took the training for professional development. The virtual training concluded with an in-person session at the Middlesex County Police Training Center.

DVRT volunteers will continue training under the direction of Women Aware’s DVRT Administrator within the Legal Advocacy department. Ultimately, volunteer advocates will be on call for affiliated police departments in Dunellen, East Brunswick, Highland Park, Jamesburg, Middlesex, Monroe, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, South River and Spotswood to listen, provide support, and share resources with victims of domestic violence following an incident of abuse.

Presenters included: Women Aware Client Services professionals; the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, MCPO Sexual Assault Response Team/Forensic Nurse Examiner Program, Rutgers School of Social Work, and Central Jersey Legal Services. Presenters covered such topics as Values & Ethics, Overview of Domestic Violence, Confidentiality, Effects of Domestic Violence on Children, Police Response to Domestic Violence, Court Procedures, Domestic Violence and Mental Health, Immigration, Strangulation, Cultural Awareness, Safety Planning, and Intervention Skills.

Middlesex County Family Justice Center Director Mildred Torres is a panelist at the Friday, April 29, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., National Crime Victims’ Rights Week virtual event sponsored by the NJ Office of the Attorney General, NJ Division of Criminal Justice, State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy and Victims of Crime Compensation Office. Register here: https://www.njoag.gov/national-crime-victims-week-2022/

The theme of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 24-30, 2022, is Rights, Access, Equity, for All Victims. Through this event, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) hopes to raise awareness of victims’ rights, protections and services. For more information, visit: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/overview

March 1, 2022

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Women Aware, it is my pleasure to congratulate Chief Executive Officer Phyllis Yonta on her 15-year leadership anniversary!

I began serving on the board shortly after Phyllis’s hire.  From the beginning, it was clear Phyllis had strong and effective management skills.  The “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” slogan, hung outside Phyllis’s office, is her motto.  The Women Aware staff works as a team, putting the clients first above all else, and I’m sure her excellent supervisors appreciate that micromanaging is not Phyllis’s style. 

Serving as the Women Aware board president continues to be a privilege.  Working alongside Phyllis, listening to her advice and impressive knowledge, has taken the stress away from my position and fostered a productive relationship between the Board and management.

Phyllis has proven her dedication to the rights of victims of domestic violence.  She leads the agency by way of years of experience and compassion for Women Aware’s clients.  It is an honor to know Phyllis in any capacity.

Diane Palmer, Board President

Pictured above are Board President Diane Palmer, CEO Phyllis Yonta, Board Treasurer Matthew Flannery, and Board Vice President Jessica Oppenheim.