OUR MISSION
Empower women to break the cycles of poverty, addiction, and human trafficking.
OUR CORE BELIEFS
We believe in empowerment... By meeting people where they are By looking at people for who they truly are and looking beyond their surface. By guiding people to identify their strengths and believe in their potential. By celebrating diversity, fighting for equality, and embracing inclusion. By, assuming the best while holing yourselves and others accountable.
... AND
We are good stewards of scarce resources in the relentless pursuit of our vision.
OUR VISION
We envision a community where all women have the skills and the confidence to thrive. Our program efforts are focused in three areas: Housing, Education, and Recovery Services.
HERstory:
HER CINCINNATI promotes economic independence for women from historically disinvested communities in Greater Cincinnati through housing, education, and recovery services. Established in 1830, HER CINCINNATI (Formerly: Cincinnati Union Bethel) is the oldest social service agency in Cincinnati, and, throughout our history, we have evolved to meet the changing human service needs in our community.
In 2018, we narrowed our strategy to focus exclusively on the needs of single women, eliminating all other programming outside that scope. We serve over 350 people annually through three housing-based programs:
- CINCINNATI SCHOLAR HOUSE, a two-generation, transitional housing program that aims to break the cycle of generational poverty faced by low-income single mothers by providing wrap-around services to ensure they attain a college degree and secure sustainable wage employment.
- OFF THE STREETS, a holistic, shelter-based recovery program that empowers survivors of human trafficking to break free from both the cycle of trafficking and of substance abuse.
- The ANNA LOUISE INN, a permanent supportive housing program for women to continue to rebuild their lives and gain stability. We are distinguished for our ability to provide a suite of services in-house and minimize fragmentation in care.
HER Cincinnati is led by a team of women with deep roots in the Cincinnati community. Our staff are reflective of the community we serve, with demographic breakdowns of gender, race, and lived experience mirroring those of our clients. Many staff have coped with substance use disorders, trafficking, trauma, and single motherhood.
In addition, we actively leverage over 65 collaborative partnerships to further deepen impact.
- Local law enforcement helps identify survivors of human trafficking for OFF THE STREETS.
- Local educational institutions connect student parents to CINCINNATI SCHOLAR HOUSE
- Local businesses and nonprofits provide ancillary services and develop the critical life skills workshops on cooking, financial literacy, home ownership, and reproductive health, etc. that clients name as a driver of their success in their roles as parents, students, and employees.
