History
Prudence Crandall Center for Women was established in June
of 1973 by a group women
who had a vision of a place for women to meet, share, and
support one another. The initial focus of the center was
to identify the health, employment and social service needs
of area women and empower them to participate in all aspects
of community life.
 In
the Center's first two years, PCCW offered a variety of services
to women in the community including training, a newsletter
entitled "New Beginnings," a meeting place and
support groups.
In
October of 1975 a six-room
apartment was rented in New Britain to provide temporary
shelter to battered women and their children.
A
house was purchased in November of 1977 with
a down payment secured through extensive fundraising efforts
in the private sector.
On
April 11, 1978 PCCW officially
opened the doors of the new shelter house.
In
June of 1982 PCCW opened
an office in downtown New Britain to be more accessible to
women in the community and to other area agencies.
In 1983 an
outreach office was established in Bristol that offered women
in Bristol a 24-hour, toll free hotline and access to a trained
counselor.
1986 brought
the passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Response
Act. This comprehensive legislation established family violence
as a crime, making criminal protective orders and next day
arraignments available which greatly assists victims of these
crimes.
In
May 2002 a move was made
to new administrative offices at 18 Hart Street in New Britain.
This location, conveniently located on the bus line, offers
more space as our staff and services continue to grow.
In September 2008 we moved the Administrative Offices to the newly refurbished Rose Hill Campus at 594 Burritt Street, New Britain.
In March 2009 the dream of providing women and their children, who have been victims of domestic violence, a range of housing and support options that they need to be safe, healthy and maintain violence-free lives became a reality when the first families moved into the Rose Hill Supportive Housing Campus.
Read a more comprehensive history.
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At Prudence Crandall Center we provide a 
