case manager

mentor

crisis counselor

crisis response specialist

life skills trainer

Houston Area Womens Center

When I worked as a Residential Mentor, I was constantly on my feet, frequently assisting clients by opening lockers and attending to their needs, which meant I was rarely in the office. There is a very high turn over rate. Time-off requests were difficult to accommodate—often only one person could be approved at a time—and the workload felt heavy relative to the pay. I also encountered challenges with two previous supervisors. When I raised these concerns with the shelter director, I felt dismissed and unheard, and at times, it seemed like the concerns were placed back on me rather than addressed.

I later transitioned to the Hotline Department, where my experience improved significantly. The supervisor and director there were empathetic, supportive, and flexible. However, advancement within the hotline can be challenging. Some long-term employees—those with over five years of experience—have applied for management roles without being selected, which can feel discouraging and, at times, unfair given their tenure and commitment. 

A typical day in the hotline involved logging in and responding to calls and chats. I believe the department would benefit from a more structured schedule to ensure a more balanced distribution of calls, as some staff appeared to handle a heavier volume than others.

Overall, my time at the organization helped me grow both personally and professionally. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work across departments and for the relationships I built along the way. That said, strengthening internal leadership and addressing staff concerns more effectively would further improve the workplace experience.

In the housing department, there is no direction, and feels like there are cliques. There is a good chance that you will become an employee that will be gas-lighted or taken advantage of, or told that big caseloads are "part of the job and if you are overwhelmed, then why are you even a case manager?"

More than half of the employees here are Spanish speakers and there is no equal representation of all of the communities here needing assistance. There should be a drive to hire more people of color to promote diversity, but there really is little to none.

There is no accountability and if you provide financial assistance, good luck getting a check or a payment made out for your client. 

This place does wonderful things for its clients but does not care about its employees. Upper management has been the same people for decades and they resist to change or growth for future leaders. Structurally, financially, organizationally and how staff are managed- it has been the most mentally and emotionally draining job I’ve ever had. Coworkers do their best to support and direct supervisors as well but upper management does not care about its staff.

I was so excited when I got hired at Houston Area Women's Center., because I really wanted to make a positive change with the residents.  However, once I got there and saw the morale of the employees and the look of unhappiness on their faces. I had never witnessed that look in all of my 20 years of employment.  It's not so much as the residents,  but upper management. Upper management gives the employees no support.  Human Resources, don't even think about complaining.  It will not change anything.  They're all friends.  Best advice. Seek employment elsewhere. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
No best after you work there you will be traumatized for life, non help for the employees.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
To deal with theirs politics  and policies and  unable to express yourself freely 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment at the office is very nice and the coworkers are wonderful 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You need to be on your toes 10 hrs a day

A typical day at work would include conducting intakes for new clients. Data entry was a given at an everyday work setting. Providing moral support to abused women and monitoring there days at the center. My coworkers were always dependable and we worked great as a team. The hardest part of the job was listening to the reason the wpmen were brought into the facility, but working at Houston Area Womens Center had more enjoyable moments as to seeing the women move forward from there terrible expierences.

Typical Day at work would be working with clients who come from domestic violence background, providing services for them, for both women and children. I learned more from the clients, than what the clients learned from us. Management was average overall, hardest part was hearing the client stories and the effects of the trauma they faced, and the most enjoyable part was knowing that you made a difference in the clients lives every day, even with the smallest things.

Overall, the Houston Area Women's Center is a great place to work. The mission of the organization is well-center in helping victims in their efforts of living a life free of violence. Counselors are continuously trained in trauma-informed counseling and crisis intervention. Additionally, supervisors provide great support to the staff because they understand that the counseling positions are not easy.

I think overall the direct managers and supervisors are pretty good. However the upper management is just cold and disassociated from the employees. There are definitely cliques and no room for advancement ESPECIALLY if you’re not bilingual or are black. There are no black managers on the counseling and other non residential sides- not sure about shelter departments. lots of unnecessary busy work and tasks and expectations of workers with little to no grace for personal life needs 

execss trying to cover a**s - def have favs - no consistency - very sad...great mission, but poorly executed - there are some wonderful people there who really care. Lots of burnout - and those who are working the hardest never seem to get the credit or the appreciation - if you are not on the pre-approved fav list, you are out of luck.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Case manager 5 salaries reported	$21.63 per hour
Mentor 1 salary reported	$21.63 per hour
Crisis counselor 7 salaries reported	$18.04 per hour
Crisis response specialist 7 salaries reported	$17.46 per hour
Life skills trainer 9 salaries reported	$21.63 per hour

Working at Houston Area Women's Center: Company Overview and Reviews

Houston Area Women's Center

Houston Area Women's Center Ratings

Popular jobs at Houston Area Women's Center

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected