When the Northwest Louisiana YWCA closed the doors to its downtown Shreveport location in 2010, the organization itself did not shut down. Meanwhile, a board of directors continued to meet and plan a direction for a YWCA for Northwest Louisiana.

“As a nonprofit, it still existed. Services ended, but the organization did not. No one knew that,” Rachel Scott, president of the board of directors, said. The board of directors is now made up of 12 women, most of them new members to the board. They hope to have 20 members eventually.

After the YWCA closed its building, the board worked to sell and clear out the location. They preserved records and history of the Northwest Louisiana YWCA, which turned 90 this year.

“It was a big, huge job,” Scott said.

Selling the building in 2011, the board was able to pay off the YWCA’s debts, avoiding bankruptcy, and continue to plan for the future. They are now in the process of applying for grants, hoping to make their dreams a reality in the near future; they’ve received local contributions and a grant.

“The plan for the YWCA was to come back and reopen in a different capacity. That’s always been the long-range plan. We want to be a place in the community to provide services to women,” Scott said. The Northwest Louisiana YWCA was primarily used as a crisis center for domestic violence, especially near the end of its run, Scott said. Now, other centers in the area provide this type of service, so this will not be part of the YWCA’s new mission for Shreveport-Bossier City.

“We want to open a women’s resource center, a one-stop shop for women in need, crisis or transition,” she said. The center will also provide resources for professional women, working to serve a diverse group of females through education. The board researched the area to decide what services would best fit in Shreveport-Bossier City.

The center’s goal is to focus on three types of services. They will offer classes on the legal system, helping women to understand their rights and aiding them in situations like divorce.

“There are not a lot of places where women can find help with the legal system, and lawyers are expensive,” she said. These courses will be taught in partnership with the Shreveport Bar Association.

The center will also offer economic empowerment classes taught through partnerships with area banks and financial institutions.

“The classes and programs will be for women from all walks of life,” she said. They will offer classes for women struggling with poverty or who may be uneducated in basic finances on financial basics or managing money. The center will also offer classes on investing and credit to professional women.

Parenting classes are the third component to the curriculum for the center. Theses classes will be designed for women from a variety of economic backgrounds and taught through a partnership with the Family Child Network at Northwestern State University.

The YWCA also plans to offer support groups and other services, working closely with agencies who are already serving Shreveport-Bossier City women.

Though the YWCA does not currently have a building for their new center, they are in the final stages. The organization now has an office building, a staff member and planned programming. The board is looking for a location central to Shreveport, possibly in or near downtown.

The YWCA closed its building four years ago mostly due to trouble with the leadership, Scott said.

“Things got very messy the past couple of years [it was open]. It was better to close and have a restart. We have different board members. We have settled our debt,” she said. Scott worked at the YWCA for 20 years, stepping away in 2004. She worked in the family violence program.

“I was able to be part of the YWCA when it was still in its heyday,” she said. She looks forward to bringing the heyday – and more – back to Shreveport.

“The YWCA didn’t go away. We’ve had a group of women behind the scenes working very quietly and steadily for four years. Not just to keep it alive but to bring it back. It’s still here. We do need the community support. That will be a big factor,” Scott said. A volunteer herself, Scott said that the progress they’ve made could not have been accomplished without volunteers.

The YWCA’s national mission is to “empower women and eliminate racism,” all while providing a voice for women.

“The YWCA was the voice for all women in this community, and we will continue to be the voice for women in this community,” she said.

For more information on the Northwest Louisiana YWCA, call 550- 4417 or visit their Facebook page, YWCA Northwest Louisiana.

–Tara Bullock

YWCA Board of Directors

Vivian Andrews
Terric Bedford
Danielle Brown
Beverly Johnson
Marilyn Joiner
Judy Lenert
Erin McCarty
Josephine Miles
M’Lissa Peters
Rachel Scott
Jean Ware
Kourtney Washington