Survivor Advocacy Services
Thank for you for making a difference! Your generous support in 2017 helped ensure that domestic violence survivors, children and families received life-saving services, shelter, safety and support and that our community makes strides towards ending domestic violence.
2017 was full of exciting changes. In February we welcomed Rachel Krinsky as our new Executive Director. Rachel brought more than 20 years of non-profit leadership experience and a passion for gender, race and social justice. Under her leadership, LifeWire’s board and staff developed a 2018-2020 Strategic Plan to ensure that we provide survivors and their families with the resources they need to thrive, that we work strategically to prevent future violence and that LifeWire’s services remain sustainable into the future.
Thanks to your support, we’ve already been able to meet some of our strategic goals. More survivors now have access to mental health and legal advocacy services, allowing them to work through the traumas of domestic violence and build safer lives. We have also partnered with local schools and colleges to educate young people about how to build healthy relationships and support them in others. Read more about how one student made a change in her life after participating in a healthy relationship workshop.
Read on to see how your support has made a difference to survivors in our community. By working together, we can fulfill our mission to end domestic violence and create a world where every person lives in a safe environment, free from oppression, and with the opportunity to thrive.
Last year LifeWire:
Breaking the cycle of violence is a community-wide effort. Thank you for your support!
Even though she’d left him, Amira’s abuser kept coming back. He forced and intimidated his way into the home that Amira shared with their five-year-old daughter Hana. He regularly followed her to work, harassing Amira in front of her customers and coworkers. Things became so bad, the 25-year-old Sudanese immigrant was forced to leave her job. Pregnant with her abuser’s child and unsure how to support two children on her own, Amira reached out to LifeWire.
With the help of her advocate, Amira connected with local resources to help meet her basic needs. She began meeting with a LifeWire mental health therapist, who helped Amira process some of the traumas she experienced after years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Amira worked with her advocate to create a safety plan, which included seeking a protection order. LifeWire’s legal advocate connected Amira with a pro bono attorney who helped her obtain a protection plan and set up a parenting plan.
Since Amira obtained her protection order, her abuser stopped contacting her. Instead of worrying about her safety, Amira now has time to spend raising Hana and her infant son Abdi. Amira is working hard on her long-term goals of raising healthy and safe children, having stable housing, returning to the workforce, and becoming a U.S. citizen.
Renata was both relieved and afraid to learn her husband was behind bars. She felt safe, but knew that wouldn’t last. He could be released at any time. Renata wanted to protect herself and her two daughters, but she didn’t have any place to go. And without immigration papers, the Mexican-born woman didn’t have may options. Sensing Renata’s distress, the police officer assigned to her domestic violence case referred her to LifeWire.
With the help of her housing advocate, Renata and her kids relocated to My Sister’s Home, LifeWire’s emergency shelter. My Sister’s Home provided the family with the space and resources they needed to begin healing. After meeting with her legal advocate, Renata learned that as a survivor of a violent crime she was eligible to apply for a U Visa. If awarded, the visa would allow her to live and work legally in the U.S. LifeWire connected her to a pro bono immigration attorney, who helped Renata apply for and receive the temporary visa.
As Renata prepared to leave the shelter and move into her own apartment, she learned that had to provide a higher security deposit due to her limited rental history. LifeWire was able to use flexible funds to assist with her move-in costs and her first month’s rent.
Today, Renata and her kids are healing. She still attends group therapy sessions and social gatherings with other survivors. Renata wants to help other survivors the way LifeWire staff and volunteers helped her.