Tag: PENELOPE'S CLOSET

First women’s shelter in Alabama still going strong after 44 years

It was in 1978 that Dr. Kathryn Coumanis, a supervisor for the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), realized a specific need for women in Alabama. There was a growing problem with domestic violence, and although there were shelters for children, the mothers had nowhere to go. Women were forced to hide in expensive rentals or crash with friends and family who could inadvertently be at risk themselves.