Asiyah Women’s Center, one of the winners of the Brooklyn Org’s 2026 Spark Prize, is New York City’s first emergency shelter dedicated to providing sanctuary, advocacy, and mental health and housing support for survivors of intimate partner violence from the AMEMSA (Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian), and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities.
On average, 1 out of every 3 American Muslim women experiences intimate partner violence, and since its founding in 2018, the organization has assisted over 1000 women and families, 94% of whom identify as members of the AMEMSA or BIPOC communities.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner. An analysis by the Violence Policy Center found that in 2023, at least 2,412 females were killed by males in single-victim/single-offender incident in the U.S. The report said women are far more likely to be killed by their spouse, an intimate acquaintance, or a family member than a stranger. Nearly nine times as many females were murdered by a male they knew (1,861 victims) than were killed by male strangers (209 victims).
Shaniyat Turani, a development and program specialist at Asiyah Women’s Center, told Brooklyn Paper that the center supported survivors of intimate partner violence with a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approach.
“We offer immediate crisis intervention, safe housing, and comprehensive support services that really help women and children transition from immediate danger to stability with a lot of dignity and independence going forward,” Turani explained.
The organization provides emergency shelter to about 100 women and children a year, who typically stay for 20-30 days — though Turani explained, the length of stay varies depending on the client’s need for extra or long-term support. Asiyah helps them in finding permanent housing, jobs, and offers free, trauma-informed, and faith-conscious mental health and health services for survivors of domestic violence, forced migration, and refugee trauma.
“We will host [survivors] as long as we need to, until they’re ready to transition,” Turani said. “In some cases, there can be clients who may just need a few days or a week before you know they are able to find a more permanent stay for themselves.”
In one case, a pregnant single mother stayed with the organization for over a year. Asiyah Women’s Center supported her throughout her pregnancy and postpartum journey. Currently, her newborn is in the NICU, and even though she’s transitioned out of the shelter, the organization still supports her with much-needed aid.
“She’s not permanently living at the shelter anymore, but we’ve been able to help her get the help she needs, whether through medical care for her and her child, getting her food, and making sure she’s eating,” Turani said. “She’s receiving Uber rides to the hospital to go visit her child. So it’s really helping them every step of the way, even beyond transitioning out of the shelter.”
A team of licensed social workers not only supports survivors who need emergency housing but also provides assistance with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and legal services, among other services.
“So, identifying what those needs are, our social work team does an extraordinary job in helping them walk through every step of the way to ensure that whatever they need in the immediate is being tended to,” Turani said.
He shared one of the center’s success stories with Brooklyn Paper. One of the center’s clients fled an abusive relationship with her two daughters, and her family sided with her husband.
They arrived at the center with basically nothing, Turani recalled. After receiving support and needed resources, they “are back on their feet,” she said.
“This mother has gone back to school, she’s getting her degrees, she’s working full time job, being able to provide for herself and her two young daughters.”
Receiving the 2026 Spark Prize was a huge honor, Turani noted, and showed how “beautiful and colorful” Brooklyn is.
“To feel like our communities are being seen, especially in a time where, you know, there’s constant attacks and discrimination from the federal government against Muslim communities, immigrant communities, it shows that we are here and we’re here to stay, and that we’re taking care of one another, and the Spark prize really sort of solidifies our story and our mission,” Turani shared
In light of federal funding cuts for nonprofits across the country, the Sparks Prize comes at a critical moment and brings the organization one step closer to securing a second location and expanding the team.
“Receiving grants like this really does get us one step closer to making sure that we have the right infrastructure in place. So it’s definitely let us breathe a little bit in a time where there are governments in place that are trying to take away our visibility and that right to take care of one another,” Turani elaborated.
This story is part of a Brooklyn Paper series highlighting the winners of this year’s Spark Prize. This year’s recipients — named for Brooklyn Org’s mission to spark lasting social change in Brooklyn — are the Asiyah Women’s Center, Back Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA), the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), The B.R.O. Experience Foundation and YVote Brooklyn Org. They will be honored at the 2026 Brooklyn Spark Breakfast on March 3 at Barclays Center.
