July 3, 2018 Dear Friends of WTLC, It is with both sadness and gratitude that I announce that after five years of service, Gigi Tsontos has resigned from her position as Chief Executive Officer at WTLC. During her time with the organization as CEO, Gigi oversaw great changes....
Dear Friends of WTLC, I hope everyone survived the extreme heatwave that swept through Southern California in recent weeks! Living in Orange County for the past 25 years, I don’t remember ever feeling that close to the sun, but it did remind me of the summer...
In the movement to End Domestic Violence and Exploitation, we are constantly forced to fight back with survivors. The trauma faced by an individual or family who has experienced violence is exponentially greater when the parties have no reprieve. The United States has offered asylum...
Understanding that violence is preventable and not inevitable is the key to change. The CDC uses a social-ecological model to frame its efforts. Working from the individual, relationship, community, and society in efforts to decrease and ultimately prevent violence. For WTLC, preventing Intimate Partner Violence...
By Gigi Tsontos, LCSW, MPA Chief Executive Officer, WTLC As WTLC works to END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION, your investments have allowed us to keep families together by including the furry babies, increase access to counseling services, ensure access to victim's assistance by meeting people...
Victims of all types of crime—both violent and non-violent—may experience trauma, which includes not only physical injuries, but the mental and emotional wounds caused by the victimization. Sometimes that trauma is compounded in the aftermath of a crime—in the re-telling of details to law enforcement...
By Gigi Tsontos, LCSW, MPA Chief Executive Officer, WTLC In March we celebrated International Women's Day, participated in National Youth Violence Prevention Week, and this year we saw a National School Walkout and a March for Our Lives. The message is clear: ENOUGH is ENOUGH. Standing for...
By Gigi Tsontos, LCSW, MPA Chief Executive Officer, WTLC 57% of all women who experience homelessness report domestic violence as the immediate cause of homelessness 1 in 5 homeless youth report being trafficked I spent Presidents’ Day at the Orange County Riverbed. Many see the tents lining the highway and...
Domestic Violence is a Health Crisis Gigi Tsontos May 30, 2016 Recently I spoke to a group of donors celebrating WTLC’s 40th Anniversary of serving survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. I shared the stories of the most severe and prolonged public health crisis of our time,...
Language Is Key to Change Ending Domestic Violence Gigi Tsontos June 30, 2016 As members of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, both as an individual and through WTLC, I share the commitment of our recent conference “Shifting the Lensâ€. The sessions discussed everything from how to engage...
