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TYRA BANKS' TZONE FOUNDATION AWARDS $10,000 TO THE DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER OF LOS ANGELES
TYRA BANKS' TZONE FOUNDATION AWARDS $10,000 TO THE DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER OF LOS ANGELES 
| TYRA BANKS' TZONE FOUNDATION AWARDS $10,000 TO THE DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER OF LOS ANGELES |
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(Los Angeles) – September 25, 2007 –- TZONE Foundation, the national grant-making organization founded by celebrity Tyra Banks, is pleased to announce it has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) of Los Angeles, a nationally recognized model for effective services for homeless women in Los Angeles. Founded in 1978, DWC provides 40,000 meals, permanent housing, and supportive resources to more than 2,000 homeless and low-income women each year. It remains the only local resource on Skid Row that is principally dedicated to addressing the needs of homeless women in downtown Los Angeles.
“There’s a misconception out there about who’s homeless and why,” said Tyra Banks. “It’s my hope that the TZONE Foundation not only provides funding for model programs like DWC, but that we’re also able to raise awareness about homelessness and persuade the public and private sectors to address both the symptoms and the root causes of this pandemic.” Alarmingly, more than 50% of LA County’s homeless women are dealing with mental illness, and more than half of the women on Skid Row are victims of domestic violence. Of the 21,000 homeless women in Los Angeles County, 53% are chronically homeless,
having experienced homelessness for an extended or repeated periods. The DWC is working hard to drive awareness and promote change this through their programs and services dedicated to helping women gain a sense of safety and stability within the communities they live and work.
“The Downtown Women’s Center is 98% privately funded, and we truly appreciate the flexibility afforded by general operating grants, such as the TZONE Foundation grant for the DWC Day Center, as these funds allow us the freedom to offer individualized programming through which each woman we serve can define her own pathway to success,” said Lisa Watson, Executive Director of The Downtown Women’s Center.
She also stated, “With this grant from the TZONE Foundation, DWC’s Day Center will be able to provide improved safety and a sense of community among the homeless and very low-income women we serve as well as increased access to food, housing, reliable healthcare, and the educational and employment resources they need to break down the barriers they face and get back on their feet.” http://www.dwcweb.org/
According to TZONE’s executive director, Mary Genis, “Our trustees moved from being stunned by the magnitude of the problem to being hopeful about the model DWC uses to help women reclaim the goals and dreams they had lost. DWC’s results in stabilizing women are undeniably impressive.”
TZONE Foundation provides grants to small and mid-sized organizations that address the needs of under-served women and girls in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City, with a particular emphasis on building supportive female relationships.
For more information about the foundation, visit their website at www.TZONEFoundation.org.
Elana Weiss
The Rose Group
310.280.3710
Email:
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TZONE Foundation Information:
TZONE Foundation
8391 Beverly Blvd. Suite 313
Los Angeles, CA 90048
For more information about the TZONE Grant Program: (323) 860-6500
Website: www.tzonefoundation.org |
