Timeline

WPA launches the Survivor’s Advocacy Project to support survivors of trafficking and intimate partner violence on Rikers Island. WPA advocates for the release of survivors, connects them to services, and trains other providers in identifying signs of trauma and trafficking.

WPA opens the nation’s first home-based alternative to incarceration program for women. 

WPA opens Sarah Powell Huntington House, New York State’s first family reunification program for formerly incarcerated women experiencing homelessness.

WPA becomes the first community partner to AIDS Counseling & Education (ACE): a peer-based program created and facilitated by women incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York.

WPA offers an alternative to prison via a court diversion program. “The people we work with are adults. We treat them that way. We do not make decisions or plans for them. We do not attempt to take responsibility for their actions. We do help to guide in decision-making by providing resources.” – 1972 Annual…

WPA turns 100. With World War II happening, the Centennial is commemorated modestly. “We have, as always, had a warm meal or a clean bed for the girl who needed it. Our services have been extended to as many as we could take care of and we believe that the value of our contacts has…

Despite an unprecedented economic downturn, WPA remains open during the Great Depression. “The exigencies of [the Great Depression] have brought their added problems to WPA. Extreme poverty is having its effect upon the groups we work with as well as upon the rest of the community. Shoplifting, by those who have never done it before,…

WPA employs the first psychologist at the House of Detention to prioritize the mental health of women.

WPA becomes one of the first integrated social service agencies in New York.

WPA publishes “The Modern Way,” a feminist pamphlet designed to expose the conditions of state prisons for women.