Program Descriptions

Emergency Shelter
About 300 women and children each year stay in our emergency shelter. All aspects of the shelter program are offered free of charge. Abby’s House is the only shelter serving domestic violence survivors who live in Worcester and the surrounding towns, a population of about 300,000.

Service-Enriched Housing
Abby’s House provides a total of 78 units of affordable, service-enriched housing at three separate locations in the Crown Hill neighborhood of downtown Worcester. Seventy-one units are single-room occupancy units for low-income women, and seven units are two-bedroom apartments for low-income women with children.

Domestic Violence Services
Crisis counseling is provided to hundreds of survivors and their friends and families each year. Services are given in person or over the phone. They may include information on restraining orders, safety planning, supportive listening, and education on the elements and cycles of domestic violence.

Women’s Center
The Women’s Center is a drop-in homelessness prevention program for women who are current or former shelter guests or residents of Abby’s House. The program combines educational and social activities that enhance the health and reduce the isolation of women living in poverty.

Abby’s Kitchen: Food and Nutrition Services
Nutritious meals are available for our housing residents, shelter guests, and Women’s Center members. Food is donated by community groups and individuals, and is purchased at the Worcester County Food Bank.

Community Education
Speakers are available to present programs on various topics such as homelessness, women in poverty, women and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, domestic violence, and other topics. In addition, our newsletter, A Bright Spot in the City, reaches thousands of households and businesses.

Thrift Shop
Abby’s thrift shop is run entirely by volunteers. It provides clean, seasonal clothing and household items in good condition at no cost for shelter guests and residents, with the remaining items being sold at low cost to the public. Thrift shop revenue helps to defray the organization’s operating costs.