Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh

What it reported doing in 2024

Women's center & shelter of greater pittsburgh achieves its mission by offering a comprehensive range of free and confidential services to meet the various needs of adult and child intimate partner violence victims and survivors at every point along their journeys. In fy 24-25, wc&s provided lifesaving services such as safety planning, counseling, education, and emergency response to 7,106 people impacted by intimate partner violence, including over 34,000 hours of counseling. Of that, 6,808 survivors of dv and their children received services from wc&s. The agency provided prevention and battering intervention programming to 301 men who use abuse, 4,043 professionals were provided consultation or coaching, and 114 concerned family or friends of survivors received support.the bright sky domestic violence mobile app and website, which wc&s and its partners launched in the united states on march 9, 2023, had over 43,041 users this fiscal year, for a total of over 177,498 users since its launch in 2023. A free, safe, and easy-to-use app and website, bright sky connects those impacted by domestic violence to practical information to educate, detect warning signs, and deliver life-saving information and features to respond to domestic violence while offering a secure route for support. Bright sky is presented in the u.s. By women's center & shelter of greater pittsburgh and vodafone americas foundation, in collaboration with aspirant, no more, hope after harm, and domesticshelters.org.through women's center & shelter's participation in the diagnostic vibrant index 6.0, vibrant pittsburgh has once again designated wc&s as a 2025 vibrant champion for utilizing best practices addressing equal dignity and respect for all people through our policies and workplace practices. The vibrant index is designed to provide an annual snapshot of the best practices being utilized by employers in the pittsburgh region. In the last fiscal year, women's center & shelter provided the following services, education, and outreach: hotline services: wc&s' hotline staff supported 3,641 crisis callers in fy 24-25 and interacted via text/chat with 298 individuals. They assess the survivors' safety (and contact emergency responders when needed), provide emotional support, offer counseling and other resources, and walk the callers through creating or updating safety plans. Information and referrals provided by the staff enable callers to make choices about next steps. Whether their choice is to seek emotional support, shelter, safety planning, or any other wc&s services, hotline staff help to facilitate these next steps. Emergency shelter: wc&s' emergency shelter housed 153 adults and 141 children for a total of 16,860 nights in fy 24-25, serving 50,580 meals to residents. The emergency shelter provides safety for adults and children in immediate, lethal danger. Core services for shelter residents include safety planning, goal planning, and education about housing, career, health, and mental/behavioral health. Wc&s provides food, toiletries, towels, blankets, clothing, and other essentials so that families can have their immediate needs met and can begin their journeys of healing. Survivors staying in the emergency shelter can have their pets housed in our pet suite. This allows families to care for and spend time with their animals who can offer great comfort and often have also been abused as part of the cycle of violence. Children's advocacy program (cap): in fy 24-25, 117 children received 9,581 hours of direct service through cap, which offers a safe, welcoming, and nurturing space where child victims of ipv can heal from trauma. Beyond addressing basic needs like medical care and school access, our cap team collaborates with local organizations to bring fun, expressive activities to the children we serve. Importantly, cap also creates opportunities for mothers and their children to connect with each other while they work through some of the most difficul

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 78.7%; rating input score 79
• Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: $20.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 12.3%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.2; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings