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.