It wouldn't be wrong to call My Sister's Place a women's shelter, in fact the name itself is a classic code for that very thing. While My Sister's Place does have two residential shelters, open to any survivor in need, they offer a far greater breadth of services and resources.
Some of their nonresidential services include individual and group counseling both for adults and kids and a County CPS Collaboration. My Sister's Place offers legal counsel and services to their clients as well court room accompaniments. Their self-sufficiency program provides workshops some of which include instruction about nutrition and parent-child relationships as well as offering job training and resume building. A part of their truly holistic offering, they even have a pet safety program with the SCPA of Westchester that includes foster placement while a client is in shelter.
While human trafficking and labor trafficking are often associated with gothic television shows about special police units, these issues are actually significant in Westchester county. My Sister's Place provides assistance for the victims of these crimes, finding those in need partly from their relationships with local police and hospitals. My Sister's Place works closely with both agencies to train them in recognizing the signs and a safe referral process.
Much of the help for My Sister's Place comes from volunteers. Their volunteer program is called the 'Sister in Law Program' and is open to men and women. The program requires 30 hours of training, with graduates primarily working on events and court accompaniments.
My Sister's Place funding is both private and public, with government grants and their two main events each year (and many supplemental event) â Fall Lunch In and Spring Gala Benefit. I recently had an opportunity to attend one of their supplemental events: Savor and Support, which brought close to 250 people together and over $10,000 in donations. The focus of the event was to support their Engaging Men and Boys Initiative and I was very moved by some personal stories shared by some their members.
Women in need can contact the 24 hour helpline at 1(800) 298-SAFE. To learn more about volunteering and donating please call (914) 683-1333 or check out the My Sister's Place website for information on all of their services.