United Family Services, a Charlotte non-profit institution founded in 1909 by religious and community leaders, opened the Shelter for Battered Women in 1979, stating, “United Family Services believes that domestic violence is destructive to individuals, families, and society. We work to end violence in every home.” SBW provides a twenty-four hour domestic violence crisis phone line and a thirty-day emergency shelter, including food and clothing, for women and children. The Shelter offers counseling and support groups for resident and non-resident women and children. Educational programs in self-esteem, budgeting, relaxation from stress, and creation of a non-violent home help to prepare women for independent living, apart from a battering partner. Domestic violence crosses all socio-economic, racial, and religious lines. Doctors, ministers, psychologists, police officers, judges, and other professionals have battered their wives. Battering is a pattern, not an isolated incident. Between July 2004 and June 2005, SBW gave residential services to 431 women and children, plus non-residential services to 537 women. United Way, government grants, and contributions provided the $918,000 spent during the 2003-2004 budget year. Many women arrive at the Shelter in a crisis situation, with no additional clothing and no other possessions. To address this situation in 1999, PUMC initiated an annual Baskets for Beginnings project to fill forty to fifty baskets with household supplies for women to take with them upon leaving the Shelter. In addition, PUMC women volunteer at the Shelter on a regular basis.

PUMC History