May 2025

At YWCA Northeast Indiana, our mission is clear: to actively empower individuals and communities through advocacy, education, and support services, ensuring dignity for all. While many in our community know us as the home of the first domestic violence shelter in Indiana, our work extends far beyond providing safe refuge. We are a comprehensive resource dedicated to fostering safety, healing, and growth across northeast Indiana.

Providing Immediate Safety and Support

Our domestic violence shelter, Bonnie’s House, remains a vital lifeline. It offers a safe haven for individuals and families fleeing domestic violence. Our dedicated, trauma-informed staff are available 24/7, providing crucial support for adults and their children, whether they need a night’s respite or a longer stay. We meet people where they are, offering the support they need when they need it most.

Reaching Out: Community-Based Advocacy

Recognizing that coming to a shelter isn’t always feasible, our community-based advocates extend our reach throughout Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Wells, and Whitley counties. Our team travels to where they are needed, offering one-on-one support to victims and survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and related victimization who do not require shelter. Our advocates provide essential services such as:

Safety planning
Navigating the legal system, including assistance with protective orders
Domestic violence education and support
Sexual violence education and support
Identifying options and resources
Services specifically tailored for children
Housing information and support
Life skills training in areas like employment, education, budgeting, and parenting
Coordinating services with other community agencies

Healing and Recovery: Our Addiction Recovery Program

We understand the complex intersection of violence and addiction. To address this, our intensive, residential Addiction Recovery Program supports adult women struggling with substance use disorder. Notably, we are one of only six programs in Indiana that allow mothers to live in recovery with their children. This unique opportunity empowers women to learn valuable skills, rebuild relationships, and establish personal and financial goals grounded in integrity and self-respect.

Preventing Harm Through Education

Education is a cornerstone of our work. Our dedicated education team provides impactful programs for both adults and youth across northeast Indiana.

Adult Education: We offer tailored programs for businesses and organizations, including:

Addiction & Recovery 101
Domestic Violence 101
Domestic Violence 101 with Children
Digital Boundaries for Parents and Youth Workers

Youth Education: Each year, our team connects with thousands of students in grades 4-12, delivering age-appropriate programs on critical topics such as:

Eyes Wide Open…relationship awareness© (promoting healthy relationships)
Digital Citizenship 101 (navigating the online world safely and responsibly)
CyberSense (enhancing online safety and preventing cyberbullying)

Providing Healing: Therapy Services

YWCA offers free therapy services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence with licensed clinicians. We provide free crisis intervention, counseling, and support groups to anyone affected by interpersonal violence, including:

Incest survivors
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and molestation
Rape survivors
Those currently experiencing sexual abuse, assault, or rape
Those experiencing sexual harassment
Those experiencing relationship violence

YWCA Northeast Indiana is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community, working tirelessly to create a safer future for all.

I’m proud to lead this amazing organization with the help of our dedicated Board of Directors and team who are committed to ensuring we are there every time the phone rings.

I encourage you to visit our website at ywcanein.org to discover more about our programs and how you can get involved.

And, if you or someone you know needs help, please call our 24-hour hotline at 800-441-4073. Your call is confidential, and support is available.

-Paula Hughes-Schuh (CEO, YWCA Northeast Indiana)

Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the United States since 1949. Every year during the month of May, individuals and organizations throughout our community come together to fight stigma, provide support, and educate or advocate for individuals affected by mental illness. Studies done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness show that 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. Learn how YWCA promotes mental health in the “Program Spotlight” section below.

Race for Equality Supporters

Thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, volunteers, participants, and everyone else who made our 4th annual 5K a success! We had over 220 registrants, 9 Corporate Sponsors, 8 Community Partners, and raised almost $30,000 for our work towards equality in northeast Indiana. We appreciate your ongoing support and couldn’t do what we do without you! Find event photos on our Facebook page and full 5K results here.

Empowerment Boutique

Our residential clients have the opportunity to earn points by completing chores, helping others, and taking on increasing responsibility. These points can be used to go shopping at our incentive-based boutique, which is stocked with various items like beauty products, nail polish, games, journals, household items, etc. that clients can purchase for their own personal enjoyment and to prepare them as they transition into a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

A lot of our Empowerment Boutique items come from in-kind donations. Visit our website to learn about our most requested goodies and how you can donate!

Mental Health and Wellness

YWCA Northeast Indiana prioritizes the mental health and wellness of our clients through our support groups, activities, and therapy services. According to NAMI, 1,129,000 adults in Indiana have a mental health condition. That’s more than 4x the population of Fort Wayne! It is more important than ever to build a strong mental health system that provides the care and support needed to help people build better lives.

Support groups for clients are facilitated by YWCA therapists and advocates and are an evidence-based practice. Topics include: Self-Esteem, Healthy Relationships, Anger Management, Trauma Bonds, Sexual Assault Support, Grief, and Co-Parenting with an Abuser. These groups seek to support clients with their mental health and help them move past barriers to healing.

With the recent addition of a music therapist, YWCA clients are invited to participate in activities like family jam and karaoke nights! Music allows clients to connect to their emotions and feelings in a new way and can be helpful for clients seeking less traditional modalities to engage with or who are having trouble opening up in traditional talk therapy. Our music therapist also leads both individual and group sessions for adults and children.

YWCA therapists focus on helping clients meet their goals across the 8 Dimensions of Wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. Therapy services are also available to family members of people who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, or addiction. Participants in therapy services do not have to be clients of YWCA’s other programs.

To learn more about support groups, email advocatecoords@ywcanein.org. For more information about therapy services, contact us at therapyos@ywcanein.org.

Coffee & Conversations

June 17th from 8-9:30am at Ash Brokerage.

Empower & Engage: How to Have Courageous Conversations. Join us in a safe and supportive space to develop the skills and confidence needed to navigate challenging interactions with authenticity and grace. Learn more and register for free.

Circle Luncheon

October 30th from 11am-1pm at The Mirro Center.

Save the date for our 29th annual event raising life saving dollars for our domestic violence services. Add a reminder to your Google calendar.

Reflecting back empowers us to move forward. Community leaders share advice they would give their younger selves with the hope of inspiring someone facing similar challenges. Visit our website to hear from:

Jackie Stancil

Executive Director, Career Development Center, Purdue Fort Wayne

Tabitha DeSeranno

Web Designer, Spark & Soul Design Studio

Mayor Sharon Tucker

City of Fort Wayne

Julian Teekaram

Journalist, WPTA-TV

Brett Gauger

Marketing Communications Specialist, Elevatus Architecture