Get Help

To explore your housing options, please visit our Day Center to sign up with a case manager; some transitional and permanent housing programs may require a referral. In the meantime, do your best to obtain documents that a housing facility will require, such as your birth certificate and/or state issued ID, social security card, proof of income, and a current TB test. Please note that we can also assist you with these, if needed.

We are open 365 days a year. Our hours on Monday through Friday are 6am – 4pm, and we are open 7am – 3pm on Saturdays and Sunday; our holiday hours are 8am – 2pm.

We serve three daily meals, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Breakfast is served at 8am, lunch is served at 11:30am (except on Thursdays when lunch is served at 11am), and an afternoon snack is provided at 2pm.

Please note that doors close at 7:45am for breakfast and 11:45am for lunch, so plan to arrive before then in order to receive meal service. Doors are closed to promote a safe community environment for women as they eat in our Day Center; you will not receive a meal if you arrive after they close.

Many of our meals are prepared and served by volunteer teams. To learn more about volunteering in the kitchen, visit our Volunteer page here.

Any woman can visit our Day Center to receive a meal, make phone calls, access a computer, secure a physical mailing address, get a fresh change of clothes, and use clean, private bathrooms and showers. Women are also encouraged to sign up for case management and counseling services, as well as any of our other housing, health and wellness, employment and job-readiness, and advocacy programming.  

DWC is not an overnight shelter, but there are several nearby in the downtown Los Angeles area, including:

• Pathways To Home, (323) 231-1711, 3804 Broadway Place, Los Angeles, CA 90037. No ID needed. Daily bus pick up at 3pm and 3:30pm on San Julian Street between 6th Street and 7th Street; intakes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1pm – 4pm.

• Union Rescue Mission (URM), (213) 347-6300, 545 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. ID needed. 15-day, one-time emergency stay, with possible extended stays; URM also operates the Gateway Program, which can provide up to $210/month.
• Winter Shelter Program (WSP), please click here for a full list of locations. The WSP operates between the months of December and March. If you are in need of shelter when the WSP is closed, please call 211 for emergency referrals or visit the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) website to find help.

DWC provides on-site services to single adult women only. 

We provide off-site housing support to families through our Community-Based Housing Program. If a family comes to us in need of immediate services or a place to stay, our case managers can refer them to other local organizations.

Any woman can sign up for case management in-person at our Day Center, Monday-Friday between 9am-11am or by contacting us at (213) 864-8496. For more information about the case management services we offer, please see our flyer or contact Clinical Program Manager, Luna Covarrubias-Klein at Lunac@downtownwomenscenter.org.

On-site clinic appointments are available on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8am to 4pm.

To sign up for clinical appointments, or to learn about our other health services, please speak to your case manager or a member of our health team on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 to 11am in the Day Center. Depending on your health insurance coverage and your specific medical needs, you may need to wait for an appointment or be referred to another clinic.

Please note that TB tests are performed on Tuesdays, only, and results are provided on Fridays.

Our health clinic provides the following:

• Free mammograms, TB tests, andvision and foot screenings.
• Free HIV testing and counseling.
• Medical case management services, health and wellness counseling, and monthly health education workshops.
• Weekly drop-in fitness classes and peer support groups.
• One-on-one assistance with benefits, as well as monthly benefits workshops.
• Please see the monthly health and wellness calendar in the Day Center for more information on our current offerings.

DWC offers job training programs and employment services led by volunteers and staff. To participate, visit our Day Center and join us for an Employment & Education Orientation, held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month, from 9:30am to 11am.

TIC is a service approach that acknowledges the widespread, long-term impacts of trauma; understands signs and symptoms of trauma; and responds by integrating knowledge about trauma into all policies and practices. A simple approach with substantial benefits, TIC improves both emergency and permanent services, reducing costs and leading to stronger short- and long-term outcomes overall.

At DWC, we practice a TIC approach across all our programs and services to ensure that women’s unique service needs are met in both women-specific and mixed-gender settings. We do so by:

• Providing low-barrier services without requiring participants to complete a formal intake process.
• Offering individualized treatment plans and services that employ a strengths-based vs. punitive approach.
• Organizing enrichment activities that facilitate a positive sense of ownership of communal spaces.
• Providing trauma-informed care trainings to all new hires.
• Providing supportive services, outreach, emergency and healing interventions to survivors and their families through our Trauma Recovery Center.

We will not turn away a woman in need. 

However, we strongly encourage all of our participants to attend a Day Center Orientation within their first week of receiving services. Orientations take place three times a week, and are led by peer leaders (other participants) to acquaint new participants with DWC’s breadth of services. During an orientation, you will receive a tour of DWC, learn how to access case management and health clinic services, learn how to sign up for Day Center chores, and get to know other women at DWC.