Jill Halverson worked as an outreach worker in the 1970s when she first met a woman named Rosa Arzola in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood. 

The former Peace Corps officer was moved by Rosa’s story: she worked in homes cooking and cleaning for families before her mental illness worsened, leading her to spend time in various psychiatric hospitals and ultimately unhoused on Skid Row. Rosa inspired Halverson to inaugurate the first location of Downtown Women’s Center.   

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“She met Rosa, and they became friends. Rosa was super inventive in the way she lived her life, and made her circumstances work for her,” said Amber Nicolai, volunteer specialist at DWC. “She had a whole bathing ritual where she set out buckets of water in the sun to get them warm, and then set up cardboard for privacy.”

Rosa’s need to be innovative in the face of great hardship stemmed from an absence of shelters that catered to women in L.A. 

“[The organizations that existed were] either for men only or men and women,” Nicolai said. “So, [Halverson] took her life savings, which she had been saving to buy a house, and she bought [DWC’s] first location. Once it did start offering housing, Rosa was the first resident, and she stayed until 2019.”

Today, DWC offers services to address daily needs of unhoused women, as well as resources for more long-term goals like reintegration and job preparation. 

“We serve 150 to 180 meals each breakfast and lunch, and we also have takeaway snacks in the afternoon,” Nicolai said. “I particularly love our kitchen because we have a vegan chef running it, so we’re able to offer different dietary options, which a lot of places nearby don’t really do. We say, ‘The kitchen’s the heart of the home,’ and ‘The kitchen’s the heart of DWC,’ because it is.”

The many spaces offered at DWC provide a haven among the bustle of its surroundings. Often, it is the only place for unhoused women to turn to in downtown L.A. — DWC is the only women’s health clinic in the Skid Row area. In 2023, DWC’s mental health programs served 554 women, and their general health clinic served ​​1,413 women. 

Providing easy access to meals, bathrooms, mail, laundry and phones enables DWC to address the needs of over 5,000 women a year, according to their website. The center’s housing first model emphasizes “Housing is the first step,” which differs from the traditional models of many shelters. Often, other shelters implement steep barriers before people can access their services.

“We don’t have curfews, which is pretty uncommon in places like this. We don’t require substance abuse counseling or drug testing,” Nicolai said. “People can stay as long as they want to. We offer mediation services if someone’s having trouble, like following the confines of their lease. We’ll work with them every way we can … We have an occupational therapist on site and are doing everything we can to help folks stay.”

Collaboration with adjacent organizations in the area expands DWC’s influence and mission within the unhoused community. Most recently, the center started its social enterprise, MADE by DWC, which sells candles made by women participating in DWC’s job-training program. MADE by DWC has a cafe and gift shop by DWC’s San Pedro Street location and partnered with Homeboy Industries, which provides the cafe’s pastries.

Homeboy Industries is the largest gang rehabilitation program in the world. In the same way, they provide a platform for like minded organizations, DWC also engages with the philanthropic side of neighboring educational institutions.

 “A lot of sororities and fraternities and different groups will get involved in our group volunteering,” Nicolai said. “There will be things like cooking clubs, where you’ll actually take over the kitchen for the day. Our staff will still be there to guide you and provide ingredients, but it’ll be a group of about five to seven who will make the whole meal and serve it.”

USC Helenes, a service organization at USC, partners with DWC to provide volunteer time and serve like-minded non-profits involved in the L.A. area. In the past, the Helenes have participated in the kitchen take-over.

“I’m definitely looking to interact more with schools,” Nicolai said. “I know a lot of schools have Volunteer Day or different fairs and things like that. I’d love to start tabling as well as at farmers markets … I’ve been thinking [a lot about] finding ways to get more diverse populations to volunteer.”

Students can feel assured that their time spent volunteering with DWC has tangible impacts on the unhoused community and provides them with an uplifting work environment.

“I started as a volunteer here, and I discovered a sanctuary that was conducive to healing,” said Ray Warth, a day center coordinator. “It was a warm, nurturing environment that I found was a natural spot for anybody to find the comfort of a community — to help pick [yourself] up and readjust to any obstacles you’re dealing with: urban or personal.”

Those at DWC work tirelessly to offer concrete solutions for unhoused women and gender diverse individuals in L.A., being the only non-governmental organization to do so. Along with these services, DWC also aims to rewrite the narrative around ending homelessness. 

“I wish more people knew that most individuals facing homelessness have endured immense trauma, and the myth that people choose this life or resist services couldn’t be further from the truth,” wrote Zoe Weber, grants specialist. “Compassion, empathy and consistency are key to understanding and addressing this crisis.”