More Than A Building
Recently, a woman with a very dangerous partner was referred to our office because he was pressuring her to drop a restraining order she had against him. While doing some safety planning with her, we discovered that she had stayed in domestic violence shelters before but, as she so eloquently put it, "I need more than a building."
What did she mean by that? To us, we heard that she had never found the right combination of services and support that she needed to feel safe and free to stay separated from her abuser. Women need more than just a place to stay, they need options. Turning to the justice system for an arrest or protective order might mean safety for one woman, while for another it means more danger from an abuser who has been angered. A few months in a safe house can be a life-changer for a woman who can easily find a new job and housing, while for women who have many barriers, it is just one stop on a much longer journey that requires resources and support throughout. We provide as many services as we can to help women feel safe and supported, but we can only do so much.
She needs us, but she also needs you. She needs you to believe her when she discloses abuse and to support her without judgement as she makes decisions for her family. She needs her community to provide a job that pays well enough to cover her children's needs and a safety net until she finds that job. She needs a legal system that can guarantee that, if she does press charges even when he has threatened to harm her for doing so, he will be kept away from her long enough for her to rebuild. She needs a community who will embrace her, nurture her, mother her, and give her the room she needs to heal, grow, and thrive. If you would like to learn more about how to create that community for women in Atlanta, please call us at 404-370-7670. |