About Us - The Crittenton Family of Agencies

Crittenton Women’s Union – Boston, Massachusetts

boston logoThe mission of the Crittenton Women’s Union is to transform low-income women’s lives so that they can attain economic independence and create a better future for themselves and their families.

We accomplish this by:

  • Providing safe housing, caring supports, and education and training programs;
  • Innovating new programmatic designs based on research and client experience;
  • Using our knowledge and experience to shape public policy and achieve social change.

Crittenton Women’s Union (CWU) is the largest provider of transitional housing for homeless mothers and their children in Massachusetts, and the founder of the first transitional home for domestic violence survivors in New England. In addition, CWU offers opportunities to complete secondary education and/or to participate in career development and workforce training programs that can assist participants in becoming economically independent.

CWU researches current workforce trends, focusing on the top occupations for women that require two years or less of post-secondary training and can quickly lead to wages enabling self-sufficiency. CWU also provides advocacy training for clients and advocates for changes in public policy. CWU has developed the Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard, which calculates the real costs of living–housing, health care, childcare, food and transportation–for various family types throughout Massachusetts.

Crittenton Women’s Union has 125 employees and a $10 million annual budget, deriving 70 percent from government sources and 30 percent from private funding. Based in Boston, CWU operates out of separate administrative and program offices in several sites throughout the city.

Programs

Housing: Emergency and transitional housing, permanent housing search, and placement.

Education: Alternative high school, GED program, and college/career counseling.

Workforce Development: Technology training, job readiness, and professional mentoring.

Family Support Services: Parenting education, health and wellness, early literacy, and early education.

Research and Advocacy: Innovative programming based on research–using our knowledge to inform public policy and achieve social change.

For detailed information about this agency see:
www.liveworkthrive.org

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