2022 impact report
Our impact on our community, by the numbers.
Introduction
ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic nonprofits have been struggling to keep their doors open and provide much-needed services. In 2022, WomenFirst rose to meet challenges and overcome obstacles while still expanding.
2022 began with the acquisition of our building from Bridges to Change, now known as the Rebuilding Lives Center. From this launch pad, WomenFirst has been able to open its doors to not only serve incarcerated women, but any woman seeking a change in her life.
As an organization that has been founded, led, and owned by a Black woman, WomenFirst has spent much of 2022 advocating for the success and joy of Black women and other women of color. This year, we were able to:
Work with Multnomah County to implement a guaranteed income program for some of our participants.
Provide necessities for our participants to meet their needs.
Build trust and partnership with other organizations and agencies.
Launch classes and workshops with an emphasis on improving our community.
Focus on serving our target population and expand our services to meet them where they are.
Among many, many other things!
WomenFirst continues to work to address the disparities face by Black women and other women of color in our communities by offering wrap-around support and education. We believe that every woman is deserving of care and attention; we want to show these women that, regardless of their history, they are capable of success. In 2022, WomenFirst served:
Single mothers seeking safe housing from domestic violence situations.
Single mothers seeking to regain custody of their children.
Black women coming out of incarceration or addiction rehabilitation.
Women seeking financial education to achieve stability.
Women facing homelessness, relapse, and reincarceration.
Women of all different lifestyles and backgrounds.
One of our biggest goals with WomenFirst is to maintain an open door policy - any woman seeking a change is welcome through our doors - while still working closely with our target demographic to create real, tangible, effective results.
We are able to achieve our goals through the support of our funders and donors. We encourage transparency so those who are funding us understand that their funds are being put to use in effective programs and services.
Welcome to WomenFirst!
our story so far
WomenFirst is a grassroots organization that was founded in 2017 by Shannon Olive. While WomenFirst is not specifically a faith-based organization, Shannon’s faith in Christ led her to a vision of a non-profit organization while she was serving a jail sentence. The vision given to Shannon from the Lord was simple; create an organization to act as a support system and provide wrap-around services for women like Shannon, facing institutionalized racism and the barriers that come with prior incarceration, drug addiction and recovery, and other life trauma. WomenFirst was founded on the idea of uplifting and supporting women to create a better, healthier community for everyone.
Our flagship I Love ME Empowerment Group was launched in 2017. The curriculum for the program was built almost entirely from scratch: an eight to twelve week course that challenges women to form their own identities, clarify their values, engage in a healthy lifestyle, and develop the leadership skills necessary to create an impact in their community. The overarching goal of the curriculum is to provide a safe and nurturing space where women can share their experiences, learn from others, and support one another through the healing process.
As of the end of 2022, WomenFirst is working in both Coffee Creek Correctional Facility and Inverness Jail to provide I Love ME Empowerment Groups as well as our Skills for Life course, which focuses on effective communication, self-awareness, and conflict resolution. We’ve been working to serve our community with a focus on education; along with our Empowerment and Skills for Life classes, we also host financial literacy courses, liberated parenting classes, healing gardens, nutritional workshops, and so much more.
WomenFirst is a hub for rent assistance, utilities assistance, and food assistance. In late 2021, Bridges to Change moved locations, leaving WomenFirst as the sole organization based out of the building located on SE Stark St.; we’ve put the space to use by opening a drop-in center, where folks can come in off the street and take a shower, do some laundry, get a meal, and relax for a little bit.
Our vision as an organization has always been to serve some of the most marginalized voices of our community. Welcome to WomenFirst!
Staff and participants at the 2022 Five Year Anniversary Gala2022 In Projects
(Click the + to read more!)
-
At the end of 2021, WomenFirst became the sole organization in what as previously Club Hope, hosted by Bridges to Change. WomenFirst has now opened the Rebuilding Lives Center - a drop-in center that has allowed us to expand the resources available to our community, including an on-site shower and laundry services, food boxes, and more.
-
Done in partnership with 4D Recovery and hosted at the Rebuilding Lives Center, our vaccine clinics helped to vaccinate over 100 community members against COVID-19 and distribute food boxes to over seventy families in need.
-
Done in partnership with the folks at the Multnomah Idea Lab, the Mother trust Program provides a monthly unconditional income to qualifying participants and their families.
-
Held at the Village Ballroom to celebrate our five year anniversary as an organization, our gala event was our biggest part of the year! We were able to recognize local officials, community partners, funders, and donors and raise $10,000.00 for WomenFirst operations.
-
Done in partnership with the Maigen Thomas Experience Team, we’ve updated our website to be more user-friendly to increase website traffic and offer new, updated ways to support us, like Amazon Smile or swag purchases.
-
In October of 2022, we took all of our staff members on a retreat to Lincoln City. This allowed us to foster healthier relationships between staff members and review our processes and programs as a team.
2022 Financials by the Numbers
$880,000.00
awarded in grants
$74,000.00
donated by corporations, individuals, and local government
$63,000.00
of rental assistance disbursed
$11,000.00
of utilities assistance disbursed
$3,000.00
spent on emergency housing
$9,500.00
spent on program supplies
$4,000.00
spent on renovating our on-site shower
$8,000.00
paid to contractors for classes and workshops
$86,000.00
spent on providing participants unconditional income and assistance with necessities like gas, groceries, and winter jackets for their children.
2022 Services by the Numbers
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
winter jackets given to participants children
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
3
women housed out of re-entry from incarceration
2
women safely housed after experiencing domestic violence
1
woman stably housed out of addiction treatment
2
34
151
women safely housed after experiencing gun violence
women received direct financial assistance for rent
recorded encounters with our peer mentor
54%
of encounters were one-on-one check-ins
20%
of encounters were group meetings and social outings
13%
of encounters were for transportation to necessary appointments
11
women were released from incarceration to the Faith House
550
recorded visitors to the Rebuilding Lives Center
65%
of visits were for classes, meetings, or one-one-ones
25%
of visits were for outreach or to meet with administrative staff
10%
of visits were for using the laundry, shower, or accessing food
50%
of visitors came to the center more than twice
42
children’s jackets distributed to families for the winter
25
Thanksgiving food boxes distributed
21
total events hosted for the community
111
total classes and workshops hosted over the year
200+
Christmas toys distributed to families during the holidays
9 graduates from Ready to Rent
〰️
4 graduates from Know Your Rights
〰️
18 graduates from i love me empowerment groups
〰️
7 graduates from Financial literacy
〰️
3 graduates from liberated parenting classes
〰️
5 graduates from Skills 4 Life
〰️
9 graduates from Ready to Rent 〰️ 4 graduates from Know Your Rights 〰️ 18 graduates from i love me empowerment groups 〰️ 7 graduates from Financial literacy 〰️ 3 graduates from liberated parenting classes 〰️ 5 graduates from Skills 4 Life 〰️
our 2023 goals
We depend on our staff members to provide resources and services to our participants - which means that all of our staff members should be up-to-date on training for things like gender sensitivity and trauma-informed care. Going into 2023, WomenFirst will be sending staff members to more comprehensive trainings so they can learn new skills and better serve the community.
Starting in 2023, our clean and sober living facility (the Faith House) will be peer-led to empower tenants and allow them to show their leadership skills. This pilot program is intended replace the need for an on-site house manager while offering even more leadership training to our participants!
WomenFirst has been working hard these last five years to provide the most comprehensive wrap-around services to our community - and we certainly won't stop now! 2023 will see the expansion of our classes and workshops available for free to our participants and community members. Educating individuals on essential skills like communication, financial literacy, and liberated parenting is an essential aspect of WomenFirst programming.
With the introduction of the BHRN network through the new OHA Measure 110 Grant Program, WomenFirst is eager to start new relationships with other organizations and build the foundations for long-lasting partnerships. Fostering wellness and success in our community requires to efforts of more than just WomenFirst; we intend to create these relationships to reach even more people who may need assistance.
Train and prepare staff for further expansion
Empower participants and house members to become leaders
Provide comprehensive education to our community
Build and maintain our relationships with our partner organizations
Acknowledgements
WomenFirst would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their contributions over 2022. We could not have made such an impact on our community without their help!
We thank Tera Hurst for her years of dedication to our mission and for seeing the value in our organization.
We thank Auburn Harrison for being such a fantastic grant writer and all around lovely person to work with.
We thank Monta Knudson for his years of mentorship and guidance. WomenFirst would not be the organization it is now without his wisdom.
We thank Dr. Laverne Lewis for her ongoing support and guidance while we prepare to expand WomenFirst.
We thank our funders: The Autzen Foundation, The Collins Foundation, The Meyer Memorial Fund, OHSU, The City of Gresham, The City of Portland, Oregon Metro, and many others.
We thank our monthly PayPal donors for their ongoing support and dedication.
This impact report was originally written by Angus Shumway, the WomenFirst Administrative Assistant, in collaboration with Shannon Olive, the Executive Director. It was reformatted from the original document for Squarespace by Angus Shumway.
we thank you for your ongoing support of our organization.
Read our stories of impact
-
![]()
Voycetta
Voycetta came to WomenFirst out of incarceration in 2020. Since joining, she’s regained custody of her kids and set herself for success.
-
![]()
Loyalty
Loyalty comes from a past of uncertainty, instability, and generational trauma. Read how WomenFirst helped her through her battles to find who she really is.
-
![]()
Tareema
Tareema’s past was one of violence and struggles. With help from WomenFirst, she’s on the path to a new life — and getting her son back
-
![]()
Kenyata
Read a few of the reflections Kenyata wrote after going through the I Love Me Empowerment Program.
-
![]()
Candice
Candice is relying on transitional housing after 2 years at Coffee Creek Correction Facility. Now she wants a place where she can raise her 4 children.
