Meet Our Team: Yolanda Torres

Yolanda Torres

“Each woman who comes through Calvary has a story and experiences that have resulted in many pains and injustices. Calvary is often a bridge for women to move to a better time in their lives. By being connected to Calvary, though my work is not directly with the women, it still contributes to empowering and helping our women.”

This is the approach Yolanda Torres takes as the data and performance manager at Calvary Women’s Services. She joined the Calvary team as a part-time residential assistant in December 2020 and is enthusiastic about her new full-time role at an organization she said has “outstanding camaraderie.”

Calvary offers safe transitional housing and affordable permanent supportive housing for women experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC, in tandem with wraparound support services as they identify their needs, set goals for their lives, and make lasting changes. Through its programs, Calvary has the capacity to serve up to 200 women a year.

Gathering data about operations, donors, volunteers, and clients is vital to a forward-thinking organization. Yolanda is responsible for creating standards for data collection processes, ensuring accuracy and on-time delivery. She said that her typical day involves working collaboratively to review spreadsheets and databases to “support our stories with data and use our data to tell our stories”, which helps to plan the future “objectively and with intention” as Calvary continues a trajectory of growth and opportunity to serve even more women.

Yolanda served nearly 10 years as a seasonal worker at hypothermia and low-barrier shelters. When she first came to Calvary, she was surprised by the array of services available.

“Calvary understands that with housing comes responsibilities and challenges that a lot of women may not be ready to face on their own,” she said. “Calvary offers classes in financial literacy, employment readiness, substance abuse counseling, and therapy to name a few. What makes it even more remarkable is that women have a choice on the path they want to pursue. To me, this is important because often women are marginalized and oppressed and did not always have a choice in their lives. To be able to allow a space with choices is truly empowering to women.”

Yolanda recalled a particular impact moment: “A client received an acceptance letter for an apartment. She felt comfortable enough for me to be there with her, reading her letter. The joy and happiness she felt … it was inspiring to know that Calvary was there to help her with getting her own living space.”

Learn more about Calvary’s programs and services.