BREAKING THE CYCLE
Words by Alicia Underlee Nelson Photography byDennis Krull, 5foot20 Design Lounge
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he YWCA operates a shelter with capacity to serve 65 women and children. The shelter is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of year and serves women and children throughout North Dakota. Over 37,000 women have received safe shelter and housing through the organization in the last 30 years alone. But the YWCA provides a continuum of housing services, case management, educational and employment assistance and support to empower women to start a new life on their own terms. “There are many misconceptions about women living in poverty not wanting to work and ‘get off the system.’ In our experience, that is just plain wrong,” said Prochnow. “The women we work with have so many challenges facing them; it’s not that they don’t want to work their way out of poverty, it’s that they don’t know where to begin.” Gate City Bank’s longstanding partnership has been expanded, allowing the YWCA to enhance its Education and Employment Program, which provides critical employment and educational mentorship to the women the YWCA serves. The new Gate City Bank Economic Enrichment Wing contains a computer lab, an education and employment classroom and a study room. Each client works with a team of experts to uncover her strengths, set goals, polish her resume and refine her interview skills. These services are vital, since many of the women aren’t employed or work as full-time mothers and caregivers when they begin working with the YWCA. Those that are employed outside of the home often struggle to earn a living wage. “On average, women served at the Emergency Shelter earn $6,700 per year,” said Prochnow. “Eight of ten women in YWCA housing programs
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