April 17, 2025, CINCY Lifestyle
The video features a Cincy Lifestyle interview highlighting the life-saving mission and community impact of the non-profit organization Women Helping Women.
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Mission & Vision: For over 51 years, the core mission of Women Helping Women has been to prevent gender-based violence and empower all survivors.
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Public Health Epidemic: Gender-based violence is presented as a public health epidemic with devastating long-term health consequences, ranging from physical trauma like strangulation and brain injuries to severe chronic stress that causes cardiovascular issues, stroke, and mental health challenges.
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Regional Impact & Statistics: Operating across five counties, the agency serves thousands of individuals in crisis. In the previous year alone, they served approximately 8,500 survivors, answered their hotline over 20,000 times, and provided roughly 36,000 crisis intervention responses.
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Misconceptions & Inclusivity: A common misconception is that the organization only assists female survivors; however, their mission explicitly supports all survivors, including men and individuals of any gender identity.
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24/7 Rapid Response Triage: The organization provides round-the-clock emergency assistance, which includes answering the crisis hotline, responding on scene alongside law enforcement during 911 calls, and accompanying survivors at 26 regional hospitals.
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Economic Support & Mobilization: To combat the heavy financial burdens forced upon victims by their abusers, the agency rapidly allocated over $900,000 in direct economic aid to cover critical necessities such as lock changes, medical bills, car repairs, child care, utilities, and emergency housing.
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Community Strategy: Because perpetrators isolate survivors using power and control, community members are encouraged to act as allies by validating victims with immediate, supportive statements like “I believe you” and “It is not your fault”.
Representatives Named
Kristen Shrimplin – CEO of Women Helping Women, who discusses the public health impacts of violence, current operational statistics, funding challenges, and the organization’s comprehensive response strategies.
