Our Mission is to provide help, hope, and safety to victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault through providing supportive services. 

  • The Southwest Crisis Center (SWCC) opened it's office doors in Worthington in 1984 to serve battered women in Nobles, Rock, Pipestone, Jackson, and Cottonwood counties. The SWCC (then known as New W.A.V 'Women Against Violence') was an outreach office of the Non-Violence Network of SW MN in Marshall.  In 1987, the SWCC added the Sexual Assault Program to the services provided. During this time there were two staff to provide all coverage, a program coordinator and an administrative assistant.
  • In 1990, the name changed to the Southwest Crisis Center.
  • In 1994, the MN Department of Corrections decided to discontinue funding to the Non-Violence Network and the SW Women's Shelter closed at the end of June 1994. At that time, the SWCC began to incorporate to become an independent organization serving battered women, their children and sexual assault victim/survivors in Nobles, Rock and Pipestone counties. 
  • Since incorporating, the SWCC has grown to include the following programs: the Nobles County Criminal Justice Intervention Program, the Jackson County Criminal Justice Intervention Program and the Women of Color Outreach Program. 
  • The primary funding source for the SWCC is the Office of Justice Program-Crime Victim Services
  • The Sexual Assault Program (SA) provides services to all victims/survivors of sexual assault, regardless of age or gender. 
  • The Battered Womens Program (BW) provides services to women an their children who have been battered by a significant person in their life.
  • The SWCC provides direct services to primary and secondary victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, sexual harassment, stalking, and child abuse. We are the initial contact for victims in crisis through our 24-hour crisis line as well as through referrals from law enforcement, medical personnel, court administration, and other agencies such as churches, health and human service groups, and mental health centers; many victims also “walk-in.”  There is no age limitations on services. 
  • We serve residents of Jackson, Cottonwood, Nobles, Rock, and Pipestone counties who are or have been victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, sexual harassment, stalking, and child abuse. Our primary purpose to serve any and all victims who seek our services (unless a conflict of interest is present) but we also serve victims who have immigrant (both documented and undocumented) and refugee status (English and non-English speaking), especially in our Nobles county office site. 
  • Our major collaborators across all counties are law enforcement, judges and court administration, county attorneys, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (legal aid), health and human services (public health, WIC, food and financial assistance programs, housing, child protection teams, social workers, and hospitals and clinics), the Immigrant Law Center (immigration lawyer housed in Worthington), and the Salvation Army and programs like Southern Minnesota Opportunity Council and Western Community Action (agencies that provide assistance to low income families through housing and weatherization programs, head start, big buddies, HUD housing and homelessness programs, programs for seniors, and assistance with emergency safe house funds). 
  • We will give information and/or referral if the individual does not meet our criteria for services.