Asian Women’s Shelter
Asian Women's Shelter is a San Francisco 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and crisis intervention to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence, with specialized culturally and linguistically responsive services for Asian, Arab, immigrant, refugee, queer, and youth survivors delivered in 41 languages.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Asian Women’s Shelter does
Asian Women's Shelter (SFAWS) is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, crisis intervention, and community-based advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. Its primary service population is immigrant, refugee, and U.S.-born Asian and Arab women, children, queer individuals, and youth, with specialized programs for underserved subgroups including queer API survivors (QAWS), Arab survivors (Arab Women's Services Program), Korean survivors (K-PEACE), and youth (YAAAS!). The organization's defining operational capability is the Multi-Lingual Access Model (MLAM), a nationally recognized program that recruits and trains bilingual, bicultural women as paid Language Advocates and supports service delivery in 41 languages.
AWS runs a confidential five-household emergency shelter with an average stay of three to five months and a scattered-site transitional housing program serving approximately 50 families per year with 12 to 24 months of subsidized rental assistance and case management. A 24/7 toll-free crisis line (1-877-751-0880) provides nationwide reach and is augmented by language-specific helplines for Korean and Arab survivors, plus an FGM/C support line staffed through a partnership with Sahiyo. Complementary programs include community education, twice-yearly volunteer training (64+ hours), a national technical assistance program supporting 5-7 peer organizations annually, the Ngoc Thi Pham scholarship fund for residents and their children, and systems advocacy through coalitions including the Asian Anti-Trafficking Collaborative.
AWS is sustained through a nonprofit revenue model comprising individual donations (one-time and recurring, including Venmo and employee matching gifts), in-kind donations, foundation grants, and government funding. All direct services to survivors are provided free of charge. The organization has 11-50 employees and operates as the lead agency for San Francisco's city-wide MLAM, serving seven partner anti-violence agencies. AWS operates without proprietary technology systems; service delivery is human-mediated and depends on its trained bilingual workforce and an ecosystem of over 20 community partner organizations.
Asian Women’s Shelter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Asian Women’s Shelter
- Legal name
- Asian Women's Shelter
- Website
- https://sfaws.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Asian Women's Shelter is a San Francisco 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and crisis intervention to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence, with specialized culturally and linguistically responsive services for Asian, Arab, immigrant, refugee, queer, and youth survivors delivered in 41 languages.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Asian Women’s Shelter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Shelter Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Shelters (624221), Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)
Keywords
Where Asian Women’s Shelter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Asian Women’s Shelter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual donations through online portal (one-time or recurring), Venmo, and check payments. All donations are tax-deductible as the organization is a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
- Employee Matching Gifts: Corporate employee matching gift programs where employers match employee contributions to qualifying nonprofit organizations.
- In-Kind Donations: Non-monetary gifts including food, clothing, supplies, and services. Community Thrift accepts gently used items and contributes proceeds to AWS.
- Government Funding: Governmental funding that supports women, immigrants, and DV shelters. The organization notes these funding sources face ongoing cuts, posing challenges for maintaining services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Free shelter and services for survivors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Asian Women’s Shelter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Asian Women's Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, crisis intervention, case management, and culturally responsive advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. It serves primarily immigrant, refugee, and U.S.-born Asian and Arab women, children, queer individuals, and youth, with multilingual support in 41 languages. All direct services are provided free of charge to survivors.
Product overview
Asian Women's Shelter is a nonprofit social services organization offering a comprehensive suite of programs and services for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. The organization operates a single integrated service model consisting of: emergency shelter housing and transitional housing programs as core residential services; a 24-hour crisis line and FGM/C support line as immediate response services; case management and the Multi-Lingual Access Model (MLAM) Program providing services in 41 languages as ongoing support services; specialized programs for underserved populations including the QAWS Program for queer API survivors, Arab Women's Services Program, K-PEACE/Korean Talk Line, and YAAAS youth leadership program; and community capacity building through volunteer training, national technical assistance, and systems advocacy. The organization does not operate as a technology platform with commercial software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- YAAAS!: Youth Are Aware, Active, and Supportive - a youth leadership program that promotes safe and healthy relationships and friendships to prevent intimate partner violence.
- K-PEACE
- QAWS
- Arab Women's Services
- MLAM (Multi-Lingual Access Model)
Products and services
- 24-Hour Crisis Line Toll-free, confidential hotline providing immediate crisis support, safety planning, and referrals for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and FGM/C, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Emergency Shelter Program Confidential emergency housing accommodating up to five households simultaneously, providing safe housing, emergency services, multilingual support, intensive case management, and coordination of legal, medical, and employment support services for survivors and their families.
- Transitional Housing Program
Companies that use Asian Women’s Shelter
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Asian Women’s Shelter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Asian Women’s Shelter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SahiyocoreCollaboration with Sahiyo to support people affected by Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in Asian and other communities. AWS's crisis line is open to support FGM/C survivors with trained advocates knowledgeable on the cultural and social connotations.
- Asian Anti-Trafficking Collaborative (AATC)coreAWS is co-founder of AATC, providing legal and social services to trafficked people including visa assistance, shelter, case management, interpretation, advocacy, and independent living skills. AATC also provides training and technical assistance.
- Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO)corePartner agency in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program providing language access services to survivors.
- Brennan HouseminorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- Clara HouseminorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- Gum Moon Women's ResidenceminorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- NarikaminorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- Rosalie HouseminorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- WOMAN, Inc.minorPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
- Creative InterventionsminorOakland-based initiative focused on developing tools to support community-based violence interventions. AWS collaborates as a partner in developing practical resources.
- Center for Digital StorytellingminorCollaboration launched in 2006 to create a space for advocates and survivors to share stories using digital imagery and audio recording, transcending language barriers.
- Amanda PhingbodhipakkiyacoreArtist and activist collaborator on Let's Talk About Us campaign and resource hub addressing domestic violence prevention themes.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Asian Women’s Shelter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Sahiyo: Activist organization focused on FGM/C prevention and survivor support, partnered with AWS on the FGM/C support line; comparable mission element and tactical collaboration.
Broad incumbents
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: The largest U.S. domestic violence crisis line and resource hub; comparable to AWS's 24-hour crisis line offering nationwide survivor support and referrals.
- Asian Americans for Community Involvement: Larger API-serving nonprofit in San Jose/Santa Clara that runs DV counseling, case management, and community education — comparable culturally specific social services for DV survivors in the Bay Area API community.
- Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO): SF-based API legal and social services nonprofit offering DV-related legal advocacy and case management; an MLAM partner of AWS with overlapping API survivor-serving mission.
- Catalyst DV (formerly Catalyst Foundation): San Diego-based DV legal nonprofit providing advocacy and shelter referrals with culturally specific programs — comparable DV service model in a different California market.
Direct peers
- La Casa de las Madres: San Francisco DV shelter providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and 24-hour crisis line for survivors — directly comparable in mission, service mix, and geographic market.
- API Chaya: Seattle-based nonprofit serving Asian and Pacific Islander survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking with culturally specific advocacy and shelter access; directly comparable culturally responsive service model targeting API communities.
- Korean American Family Services (KFAM): Provides DV and mental health services to Korean American communities with culturally responsive counseling and case management — directly comparable to AWS's K-PEACE and broader ethnic-specific DV work.
- W.O.M.A.N., Inc. San Francisco-based DV shelter operating a 40-bed emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, case management, and community education — a direct comparable in the same city offering core DV services.
Regional players
- Greater Hartford Legal Aid: Regional DV/survivor legal services with cross-state resource distribution; comparable in providing language-access DV advocacy but in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Asian Women’s Shelter social profiles
Digital presenceAsian Women’s Shelter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Asian Women’s Shelter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Asian Women’s Shelter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Asian Women’s Shelter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Asian Women’s Shelter
What does Asian Women’s Shelter do?
Asian Women's Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, crisis intervention, case management, and culturally responsive advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. It serves primarily immigrant, refugee, and U.S.-born Asian and Arab women, children, queer individuals, and youth, with multilingual support in 41 languages. All direct services are provided free of charge to survivors.
Is Asian Women’s Shelter a public or private company?
Asian Women’s Shelter is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Asian Women’s Shelter founded?
Asian Women’s Shelter was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Asian Women’s Shelter based?
Asian Women’s Shelter is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Asian Women’s Shelter make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are employee Matching Gifts, in-Kind Donations and government Funding.
Who are Asian Women’s Shelter's main competitors?
Sahiyo is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are National Domestic Violence Hotline, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO) and Catalyst DV (formerly Catalyst Foundation). Direct peers are La Casa de las Madres, API Chaya, Korean American Family Services (KFAM) and W.O.M.A.N., Inc.. Greater Hartford Legal Aid is listed as a regional player.
Does Asian Women’s Shelter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Asian Women’s Shelter.
What industry is Asian Women’s Shelter in?
Asian Women’s Shelter's product category is Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Shelter Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAB, Housing Assistance & Homeless Services, with a secondary code of BPAIANAC, Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services. Its NAICS code is 624221 and its SIC code is 8300.