About Us
| How We Started SHAWL’s history began with the concerns of the Peninsula-Harbor Ecumenical Council about the needs of low income and homeless residents in the Harbor Area of Los Angeles. A study conducted by the Council in 1988 showed that the most important service needed in the area was a shelter for homeless women, most of whom were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. After opening an emergency food pantry and drop-in center to assist homeless women, SHAWL House was born in 1992 as a residential chemical dependency treatment for women in the Harbor Area to address a principal cause of homelessness. Who We Are The SHAWL House is a successful residential treatment program for homeless and chemically dependent women with few other alternatives for free or low-cost treatment. The residence houses thirteen women for six months intensive rehabilitation program and life skills development. The home used for the residential treatment was purchased in 2000 with grants from the Ahmanson Foundation, Parsons Foundation and Weingart Foundation. The building was the original school house for the Port of San Pedro and is designated as a historic landmark part of Vinegar Hill District. Haviland House A transitional residential facility was opened in 1998 across the street from SHAWL House for women that have graduated from the SHAWL residential rehabilitation program and are ready to obtain employment, further education or vocational training. This facility, known as “Haviland House,” provides living space for ten women with the goal of empowering the women to be fully independent, productive members of society and enable them to reunite with their children. What our Program Includes SHAWL’s programs include community outreach and intensive residential rehabilitation which seek to provide a lasting solution to the problems of homelessness, substance abuse and unemployment among Harbor Area women. The atmosphere is a supportive community-based environment and residential treatment is provided in a large home within the community. Women participate in multiple groups, individual counseling and case management to help them with transitional issues. Within the community they attend 12-step meetings and use community resources to access health care, receive specialized therapeutic services, and obtain job training and secure employment. |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
