History and Achievments

Housing

"When You Don't Have a Room of your own" Position Paper - 2011
The paper, presented in the first session regarding young women in the "Sderot Israeli Society" conference, offered a deep glance into the housing challenges of young women at risk in Israel, and rose recognition to the importance of adequate housing as a vital infrastructure to the development and progress of these women. In addition, the paper emphasized adequate housing as a basic and fundamental goal necessary in attaining any other goal when treating young women at risk, such as healthy relationships, employment and career advancement and contributing to society.

Housing database
The forum created and published the first ever housing database that is specifically targeted for young women at risk. The database offers caseworkers and women a list of relevant housing solutions, based on the practical knowledge accumulated in the forum, and a mapping process of existing options through data collection from The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and other social organizations. Today the database is updated by The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in collaboration with "Kol Zchut" website.

To the Housing Datebase, press here

"Between the Chairs" Position Paper - 201
The paperemphasized the housing distress and homelessness risk that many young women at risk face as a result of not qualifying to housing assistance under the current parameters defined by law.

"Diurit" Model Establishment - 2015
As part of the field work done with young women at risk, a need for developing a new housing solution emerged. This solution needed to offer a unique and tailor made housing option for young women in the beginning of their 20's, that is suitable for their level of independence and offers support and counseling that's adjusted to the unique challenges young women face.
Therefor "Otot" non-profit, which is a forum's member that is highly experienced in operating different housing and caretaking options for youth and young women at risk, established the "Diurit" Model.
The first "Diurit" opened in the Tel Aviv University's dorms, offering 16 beds. The second opened in Jerusalem as a solution for young women from religious or ultra-orthodox backgrounds, and the third opened in Ben Gurion University's dorms in Be'er Sheva.
As a result of the model's success, it was adopted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which plans to expand it to other locations throughout the country.

Housing financial aid for young women at risk
Following the publication of "Between the Chairs" Position paper, the Knesset's Committee regarding Homeless Young Adults, headed by Knesset member Meirav Ben Ari in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and The Ministry of Housing, assigned 2.2 million ILS for housing financial aid, offering young adults at risk a monthly rent stipend of 1,000 ILS.

Creating Awearness

The Forum for Young Women's NGO's lead the session about young women in the annual "Sderot Israeli Society" conference. At the yearly session we promote different and diverse discussions on relevant topics, which incorporate young women at risk, care and therapy professionals, academy researchers and representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in order to create meaningful encounters and allow marginalized voices to be heard and recognized.

Around the forum's table sit a variety of professionals from different disciplines: social work, therapy, academy and law. The diversity of professional approaches in our discourse throughout the years has contributed to developing an ample and intricate knowledge base offering different perspectives and views regarding work practices in a complex multi-cultural, multi-gender and multi-communication method settings. The inter-disciplinary discourse that was created through the forum's work is both based on different aspects of working with young women at risk, impacts the development of knowledge and designs the professional methods in working with young adults at risk.

Our forum is present in different discussions and committees in the Israeli Knesset in order to allow the unique voice of young women at risk to be heard, and to represent the field in the arena where policy changes are made. In these discussions, the forum's role is to emphasize the unique barriers young women at risk face, that are significantly different than those faced by young men at risk, and therefore require different solutions.

Establishing Professional Jargon

Conferences and Committees Participation

Activism Communities for Young Women at risk

Based on the value of "Nothing About Us Without Us", our Activism Communities enables young women at risk to be equal partners in creating social change.

This nation-wide initiative rose from recognition in the unique and valuable knowledge young marginalized women possess, and the importance of bringing that knowledge to the center of public discourse, especially to areas where decisions that affect these women are made. The project originally started as a single pilot group, and later expanded nationally. Today the Forum sits in the steering committee of the national program, run by the Social Security Special Projects Foundation.

Budgeting Method Model

A collaboration of our forum, the "Itach Ma’aki – Women Lawyers for Social Justice" non-profit and "The Adva Center" has initiated a comprehensive report in order to re-examine the current budgeting method the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs uses in funding different organizations who operate services for young women at risk. The report, "Social Services for Young women at risk in Israel - A Re-examination of the Operating and Budgeting Models" portray the different challenges rising from the current budgeting method and the ways they hinder the work of different non-profits, forum partners and others facilitators who operate different high-quality social services for young women at risk. The report, and a following position paper, were sent to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.