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Team

  • Who We Are

Our History

A study conducted by the Peninsula-Harbor Ecumenical Council in 1988 documented that the biggest unmet need of low income and homeless residents in the Harbor Area of Los Angeles was a shelter for homeless women, most of whom were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.  Concerned about this unmet need, a group of dedicated individuals soon began an emergency food pantry and drop-in center. By 1990, the efforts of these concerned individuals resulted in the opening of SHAWL (Support for Harbor Area Women’s Lives), a four-month residential chemical dependency treatment program for homeless women. The home currently being used by SHAWL for the primary program was purchased in 2000 with grants from the Ahmanson Foundation, Parsons Foundation, and the Weingart Foundation.

 

In 2021, Haviland House was purchased and is the owned property of the program. By 1998, a longer-term transitional housing facility, Haviland House, was opened across the street from SHAWL for women that have graduated from the SHAWL primary program. At Haviland House, six women can remain an additional 18 months to two years while they are in school and employed so that they can continue their case management treatment goals of maintaining sobriety, as well as freedom from homelessness and domestic violence.

An additional transitional home was opened in 2012 called The Cottages. The Cottages can hold up to 5 residents in each cottage where residents can life in a comfortable drug, alcohol and violence free atmosphere. Residents can continue their case management plans to maintain ongoing sobriety and freedom from violence.

 

To enhance SHAWL’s impact and stability, the Board of Directors made the strategic decision to merge with Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA) in 2007. VOALA is one of Los Angeles’s oldest (founded in 1896) and largest non-profits with over $66 million in current annual operating revenue. Having earned a reputation for the willingness to serve Los Angeles’s “neediest of the needy,” VOALA is committed to bringing lasting solutions, not just temporary support, to those in need. Each year, VOALA serves more than 35,000 residents of the Los Angeles area. For more information about the mission and programs that VOALA provides, please visit the website at www.voala.org.

We are committed to helping those in need. SHAWL’s mission is to provide comprehensive services to homeless women who are affected by drugs and alcohol addiction, physical and emotional abuse. Our residential program provides a safe environment where women can heal and thrive as they move forward towards a serene and productive life.

  • Who We Are

SHAWL in the News

In 2009, SHAWL was awarded $500,000 for three years under the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, Transitional Housing Assistance Grant Program.  SHAWL was again awarded $300,000 over three years in 2012.  We work closely with the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women to ensure we are utilizing best practices for our residents.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 provided the Justice Department’s Office
on Violence Against Women with $225 million,
for grants to expand efforts to combat violence
against women, and just as importantly, to
invest in the lives of those who have been
victimized and remain vulnerable”

-Attorney General Eric Holder

Meet Our Caring Staff

We have caring, knowledgeable and professional staff to assist residents with their various needs.

Meet Our Dedicated Board of Directors

  • Counsel, Baute, Chrochetiere, Hartely & Velkei LLP

Mikel A. Glavinovich

Mikel has been a member of the SHAWL Board since 2016 and she currently serves as President of the Board. Her legal practice focuses on issues involving insurance coverage, and she has provided pro bono assistance to the Alliance for Children’s Rights, as well as the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Clinic. She is also a past member of the vestry at Christ Church Episcopal in Redondo Beach. Ms. Glavinovich is inspired by the strength and commitment of SHAWL’s staff and feels very fortunate to play a role in helping women reclaim the lives that they were meant to lead.

  • Consultant

James Howat

o Jim has been a member of the SHAWL Board of Directors since 2014 and currently serves as Treasurer of the Board. Jim has had a long career of service where he developed programs for homeless and addicted people in Los Angeles often obtaining federal grants for homeless and individuals with addiction from the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice. He worked for Volunteers of America Los Angeles for 25 years and currently serves as a consultant to them since 2015. In addition, he spent over thirty years in finance including President and CEO of an independent bank in Southern California. He is a US Navy veteran with 22 years of active and reserve service. He is married with three children and four grandchildren.

  • President, In Any Event

Patricia Harris DiLeva

Patricia serves as Secretary of the SHAWL Board. She is a seasoned event planning professional, specializing in sports and entertainment. In 2012 she founded In Any Event, a full-service event management firm. Prior to In Any Event, she spent 18 years with Perelman, Pioneer & Company in Los Angeles, CA. While with Perelman, Pat worked in the areas of event marketing, media operations, event management and production. Throughout her career Pat has overseen the management of a variety of major events for a notable list of clients, including the Los Angeles Marathon, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Los Angeles Convention Center, FIFA Women’s World Cup and Major League Baseball.

A native of Washington, D.C., Pat currently resides in Redondo Beach, CA with her husband Chris and daughter, Samantha.

Emily Hamilton

“Emily joined the SHAWL Board in 2011 and served as President until early 2021. Emily retired in 2021 after working in the financial services industry since 1987 and has a broad base of experience in many facets of human capital management. “I have had experience with family members who have struggled with addiction and homelessness and have a personal understanding of how difficult it is to find resources to partner and invest in a full transformation of a life. SHAWL’s model of services and on-going support truly address the whole person and a long-term set of solutions are part of the programs provided. Once introduced to SHAWL, I quickly felt a connection and felt drawn to the women who call SHAWL home. It’s a privilege to be involved and to be a witness to the life-changing impact that SHAWL is having in the lives of women in the South Bay.”