Every Wednesday night at Prevention Point on Kensington Avenue, hot meals are set out, donated clothes are sorted and laughter carries across the room.
The event, called Womxn's Night, is a weekly program for women, female-identifying people, femme people and nonbinary people. From 5:30 to 8 p.m., guests can come in to eat, rest and get help.
Volunteers serve dinner, hand out clothing donations and offer an arts-and-crafts table for conversation and trauma support. Some nights, guests can get haircuts or manicures. Every other week, health care workers offer testing for sexually transmitted infections. Womxn’s Night also provides showers, disease prevention supplies and connections to addiction treatment, housing and other services.
“This place makes me feel safe and seen,” said Samantha, who asked to be identified by her first name only for privacy reasons. “Being here with everyone else reminds me that I am not alone.”
The women who come to Womxn’s Night are in many different circumstances. Some are actively using substances. Others are in addiction recovery programs. Many are living in shelters or on the street. Some are engaged in the street economy, including sex work, while others are longtime neighborhood residents looking for connection and community.
About 60 to 65 women pass through the space each week, according to Teena Weisler, the Womxn’s Night coordinator. Some stay for hours. Others take what they need and head back out.
“It is important for me to show up for the women,” Weisler said. “I want them to be able to trust me. I’ve built a rapport with many of them, so if they ever need support outside of here, whether that’s getting into treatment or leaving Kensington, I can be a trusted person they can turn to in between.”
The event grew out of a need for a space just for women in Kensington, where they often face violence, exploitation and instability, Weisler said. Organizers wanted to create a place where guests could step away from dangerous situations, even for a few hours.
Weisler has led Womxn's Night at Prevention Point for five of the 10 years it has been running. She works as a high school social worker during the day. She is also in recovery and said that life experience helps her connect with guests.
“As a female in recovery with a lot of shared experience with the women, it means a whole lot to me,” Weisler said. “I hope when our guests leave this space they feel seen, dignified, and loved — respected for who they are, regardless of how they present or what they’re bringing with them. I want them to feel like they matter and that they deserve really great things.”
Over the past five years, Samantha has experienced periods of homelessness, living in shelters and on the street. She said she is now trying to rebuild her life “piece by piece” by returning to a clinic and looking for stable housing. She said she has been using the medical services and other help offered at Womxn’s Night for about four years.
“It feels safe and inviting,” she said. “The staff members are always smiling and welcoming. It’s a good group of women, and if you need a shower, a hot meal or fresh clothes, this is a good place to come.”
Andrea McCord, who works as a benefits advocate and medical receptionist at Prevention Point, has volunteered at Womxn’s Night for three years. She said programs like this are critical in Kensington.
“It’s important to keep spaces like this going,” McCord said. “There aren’t many places where women can just come and be around people who look like them and identify like them. Showing up every week, seeing the same faces, that consistency really matters.”
Weisler said community support helps keep Womxn’s Night going. Groups or individuals interested in supporting the program can email her at teena@ppponline.org. Support can include sponsoring a meal with food, drinks or dessert. It can also include donating clothing, shoes, new makeup, hygiene kits, jewelry, hair accessories and manicure supplies.
For Samantha, that steady support is part of why she keeps coming back.
“It’s a break from everyday life out here,” she said.
