After nearly two decades leading the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, Beatrice Black is preparing to step away.
A certified public accountant with a background in small entrepreneurial firms and a housing nonprofit, she didn’t seem like the most obvious candidate to lead the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA).
“I told the board at that time, you know, I'm not familiar with the subject matter,” she said.
WCA provides support services including crisis hotlines, domestic abuse shelters, safety planning, court advocacy, therapy, and financial empowerment classes for those healing from domestic abuse and sexual assault.
“But I said, ‘I've been in this community a long time. I consider myself a translator, a communicator, and this is a topic that is really important to me.’”
Eighteen years later, Black is wrapping up her tenure as CEO.
Creating Hope
Black kept her promise to learn.
“When I first came to this work, I was guilty of something that a lot of folks are. You think of domestic violence as the black eye. Abuse is much more subtle. It knows no socioeconomic bounds.”
She’s also seen the impact of WCA’s work firsthand.
“I believe the most important thing anybody has is a sense of self-worth. At the heart of abuse, it is destroying that. The work we do is helping individuals reclaim it, or find it for the first time.”
Help and Be Helped
While the subject is difficult, Black says there are ways to engage.
“Whether your time, your talent, or your treasure.”
She said awareness is one of the most important forms of support.
“I can't think of anything worse than someone being in a destructive relationship and not knowing help exists. Because it does.”
Local Support, Growing Impact
While WCA is an Idaho-based nonprofit, its reach extends beyond the state.
“We serve anybody who comes to us,” Black said. “We've had people come from faraway states just to get away from their abuser.”
Closer to home, she’s seen growing support for the organization’s mission.
“When I came, we were about a $1.7 million operation. Today, we’re closer to $4 million. The biggest change is recognition—how prevalent domestic abuse and sexual assault are in our community.”
That awareness has also shifted funding.
“We used to rely on grants for about 70 percent of funding. Now that’s flipped. About 70 percent comes from individual and corporate support.”
Sheltering Those in Need
During Black’s tenure, WCA expanded its shelter capacity, doubling to 30 rooms in 2016.
“We shared the vision and the need, and the community responded,” she said. “Within a year, we raised the funds with no debt.”
She also reflected on the impact of the organization’s work through one family’s experience.
“I could hear the discord and unhappiness when they first came in,” she said of a mother and her three daughters.
Over time, with counseling and support, things changed. The mother found a job and housing, and the family stabilized.
“That’s what happens when someone reclaims their sense of self-worth,” Black said. “You’re not just changing one life—you’re changing several, and potentially breaking a cycle.”
The Next Chapter
Black plans to spend more time traveling with her husband and with her children and grandchildren.
As for the future of WCA, her advice is simple.
“Continue to grow support, and continue the basics—safe shelter, counseling, case management, childcare. We have to be here for those in devastating situations.”
If you’re in need of WCA services, contact the 24-hour hotlines at 208-343-7025 for domestic abuse or 208-345-7273 for sexual assault, or visit wcaboise.org.