About
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a society in which domestic violence no longer exists.
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We strive to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the diverse community of battered women and their children with programs that promote safety, compassion, connection, advocacy, and prevention.
Our Vision
Each day we help survivors of domestic violence in Atlanta improve their safety by finding a safe place to stay, exercising their legal rights, exploring options and creating accountability for batterers. We greet survivors with compassion – no judgment, no second-guessing, and no shame. We provide connection - through relationships built with our staff, support groups and bonds forged with fellow safe house guests. By linking women and other survivors with community supports and offering our services, we make sure no one has to take this walk alone. Equally importantly, we provide a voice for survivors when they cannot speak for themselves and a platform for those who can speak to be heard. Our advocacy for survivors of domestic violence works to change the culture that allows abuse to thrive. That advocacy, coupled with our powerful work with children, facilitates prevention and ending domestic violence altogether.
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Women's Resource Center is committed to providing compassionate, inclusive services to all survivors, honoring the varied experiences of those seeking support.
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
Maya Angelou
Our History
In 1985, Gwendolyn Ann Turnbough sought protection from an abusive ex-husband through the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office. Upon his release from jail, her former husband tracked her down and fatally shot her in front of their eleven-year-old son. Her murder prompted Commissioner Sherry Schulman to form the DeKalb County Domestic Violence Task Force, which identified a critical need for survivor services. In response, the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence was founded in 1986, beginning with a crisis hotline and support groups before opening our first safe house.
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Meanwhile, in the late 1980s, data from Grady Hospital also revealed an urgent need for local sexual assault services. This led to the founding of the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center (later rebranded as Day League), which launched a 24-hour crisis hotline and, later, DeKalb County’s first victim-centered Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program.
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Now, in 2025, WRC has brought Day League under our umbrella, uniting decades of advocacy, expertise, and survivor-centered services. As the leading provider of domestic violence and sexual assault services in DeKalb County, we honor the legacy of those who fought for change while building a stronger, more comprehensive support system for the future.
Gwendolyn's daughter from her first marriage is Pulitzer Prize-winner and former US Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, who writes extensively about her mother's life. Gwendolyn and Natasha are pictured right.
