Leangela Frazier remembers when she no longer had a stable place to live. The 39-year-old single mother of four had left a difficult relationship and was bouncing between couches. A friend pointed her to Women’s Empowerment, the Sacramento nonprofit that helps women experiencing homelessness rebuild their lives. After attending orientation, she was approved for the program and committed to nine weeks of intensive classes.
“The nine weeks went by so fast it felt like it was nine hours,” Frazier said.
Through the program, she took courses on trauma, domestic violence, boundaries and self-care. She worked on her résumé and cover letter for the first time, learned digital tools including ChatGPT, and took classes on financial literacy. She said she hadn’t realized how much trauma she was carrying until the curriculum made her confront it, and she began to see herself advancing in ways she hadn’t expected.
A report from the National Center for Victims of Crime found that 53.8% of Black women had experienced psychological abuse, while 41.2% of Black women had experienced physical abuse. Worse yet, Black women are 2.5 times more likely to be murdered by men than white women.
By the end of the nine weeks, Frazier had secured her own apartment and restarted her career as a behavior technician, working with children in the Elk Grove Unified School District. She also learned the practical steps of maintaining housing, such as income requirements for rent. Today, she feels more grounded and better prepared — not only for herself, but for her children, who range in age from 3 to 19.
Frazier was one of 30 women who recently completed the program, joining nearly 2,000 who have graduated from Women’s Empowerment since its founding 24 years ago. Founding Executive Director Lisa Culp said the transformation is often dramatic: “It’s like they’ve gone through this arc of transformation, from being the victim to becoming the protagonist, the hero of their story.”
That transformation was on display Sept. 19 at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, where more than 200 community members gathered for Women’s Empowerment’s 24th annual gala. Guests filled the downtown ballroom for a plated dinner, cocktail reception, and live and silent auctions. Graduates embraced, laughing and catching up like old friends, while supporters mingled with city leaders and community advocates.
The evening featured graduate speakers, including Robin Kelly-Dunton, a 2016 alumna who now serves as president of the nonprofit’s board. By night’s end, attendees had raised $225,000 to sustain Women’s Empowerment’s programs. For Culp, the gathering was not only a fundraiser but also a moment to celebrate the bravery, accomplishments and resilience of women who continue to inspire the community.
Women’s Empowerment’s nine-week program combines career development, computer training, counseling and life-skills classes with case management and housing support. Each session is designed to help women move from crisis to stability, while preparing them to keep the jobs they secure. Culp noted that about 86% of participants have survived domestic violence and nearly all come to the program deeply traumatized. Over time, she said, they dedicate themselves to building new skills, from financial literacy to self-care, while also focusing on becoming strong employees who can sustain long-term employment.
Kelly-Dunton said that when she was trying to rebuild her life, no available resource in Sacramento matched what Women’s Empowerment offered. Other agencies could provide only temporary fixes such as food, clothing or diapers. What she needed was a pathway back to work and stability for her family. “I didn’t just want to survive,” she said.
She said the nonprofit stood out because it addressed immediate needs like housing and transportation while also confronting the trauma of being unhoused. When she entered the program, her son was just nine months old, and she worried about leaving him. The child development center allowed her to check in, watch him play and see that he was safe. “It gave me the confidence to leave him there so I could focus on what I needed to do,” she said.
Culp said what drives her to continue leading the program after more than two decades is watching women commit to the process despite the obstacles they face. She sees them enter the program in crisis and emerge nine weeks later with new confidence and skills. The gala, she said, was about honoring not just their progress but the ways graduates give back — to other women, to children, and to Sacramento as a whole.
Former Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who attended alongside Mayor Kevin McCarty, praised Women’s Empowerment as a steady source of hope. “It [the nonprofit] is the clearest evidence that you should never give up on anyone,” Steinberg said.
He reflected on the fact that, during his tenure, the city expanded shelter capacity from fewer than 100 beds per night to more than 1,300, but he emphasized that nonprofits such as Women’s Empowerment are central to helping people stabilize their lives. “Government does not do this work; government provides the funding, the framework and can insist upon good results, but it’s the nonprofit community that does the work,” he said.
Women interested in getting connected to the Women’s Empowerment program can use this link or by calling 916-669-2307.