About VIP Mujeres

In just over 30 years, the Violence Intervention Program, Inc. (VIP) has become a $3.4M organization with eight distinct programs providing services to over 10,000 New York State residents. While our underlying mission is to serve Latina victims, our programs encompass concepts that resonate with victims from all cultural backgrounds—empowerment, self-determination, and cultural competency. Immigrants of all ethnic backgrounds have established close ties to VIP because it is one of the only agencies in the city that assists those with undocumented status. While VIP provides crisis intervention and stabilization services to New York City inhabitants, its influence and mission have had a global reach.

Mission
Our mission is to lead Latina victims of domestic violence to safety, empower them to live free of violence and reach and sustain their full potential. We pursue our mission by raising community awareness, engaging in activism and providing culturally competent services.

History
Originally funded under the East Harlem Council of Human Services (EHCHS), VIP operated as a demonstration project—a large-scale intervention designed to improve the health and social outcomes of a population at the community level. The organization informed and educated the public about the role and impact of domestic abuse on the Latino community while providing crisis intervention assistance.

In 1989, with funding from the New York State Department of Social Services, VIP split from EHCHS and opened its first office in Manhattan. Its non-residential program was formally established, and services expanded to include a bilingual hotline, counseling, and advocacy work.