Since 2009, Sister to Sister 2, Inc. (dba Serenity House) has offered comprehensive, wraparound support services for women facing homelessness, addiction, and gender-based violence in West Oakland and surrounding areas. Our founder, Ms. Johnnia Davis, a West Oakland native who personally experienced the devastating impacts of poverty and violence, established Serenity House to give back to her community.

At Sister to Sister 2, we prioritize serving marginalized communities marked by generational poverty. Low-income Black women with children make up 80% of the individuals we assist. Approximately 15% of those we serve are Latina, while the remaining 5% consist of Caucasian and Asian women.

Virtually all of our clients are well below the poverty line when they come to our programs. On average, we serve 500 women annually through our day program, housing initiatives, community outreach and resource navigation, community health/wellness activities and events, and workforce development program.

Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, we have also helped over 100 families escape domestic violence through our Emergency Hotel program (funded in part by the City of Oakland DVP), including intensive case management, counseling, and healing groups. We have successfully placed over 80% of these families into housing. This program has experienced a surge in demand, highlighting the critical need for our services.

What sets Serenity House programming apart is our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. Run by the same women we serve, our staff is diverse, with over 70% identifying as African-American, and 60% being former graduates of our programs. Our programs were developed, with successful implementation, to meet the needs of formerly incarcerated women, homeless women, women who have been sex trafficked, and women who are addicted to drugs or alcohol--often all of these.