Asian Women’s Shelter

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.

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

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

• Domestic violence services
• Human trafficking support
• Emergency shelter services
• Multilingual crisis intervention
• Community-based advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Employee Matching Gifts: Corporate employee matching gift programs where employers match employee contributions to qualifying nonprofit organizations.
3. In-Kind Donations: Non-monetary gifts including food, clothing, supplies, and services. Community Thrift accepts gently used items and contributes proceeds to AWS.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SahiyocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWS 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program providing language access services to survivors.
• Brennan HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• Clara HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• Gum Moon Women's ResidenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• NarikaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• Rosalie HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• WOMAN, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in San Francisco's city-wide MLAM program, one of seven anti-violence agencies served.
• Creative InterventionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOakland-based initiative focused on developing tools to support community-based violence interventions. AWS collaborates as a partner in developing practical resources.
• Center for Digital StorytellingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration launched in 2006 to create a space for advocates and survivors to share stories using digital imagery and audio recording, transcending language barriers.
• Amanda PhingbodhipakkiyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist 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

Emerging 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/sfaws

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asian Women’s Shelter