Alternatives for Battered Women

Our Mission is to prevent domestic violence and ensure every survivor has access to the services and supports needed along the journey to a safe and empowered life.

Our vision is a community free from domestic violence,

where healthy relationships thrive.

ABW is the only licensed provider in Monroe County of shelter and services for victims of domestic violence.

ABW’s beginnings date to the late 1970s with a groundswell of support across the nation for abused women. A grassroots advocacy group, deeply concerned about the safety of area victims, opened a shelter in Rochester in 1979 under the name Alternatives for Battered Women. It was the third shelter to open in New York – right after Brooklyn and Buffalo. With expanded services and ever-increasing outreach, ABW remains true to our founders’ original vision.

Alternatives for Battered Women is a founding member of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; the Rochester/Monroe County Domestic Violence Consortium; a member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and a member of the LGBTQ Domestic Violence Service Providers Network.