Hope for Justice has supported a woman to move into a new home – a place of safety and refuge – far away from her abuser and sex trafficker.
For a very long time, Deborah* did not feel safe in her own home because her abuser knew where she lived and continued to threaten her.
When Hope for Justice’s team in Tennessee started working with this survivor, she told us about the Order of Protection she had in place against her abuser. This is a type of court-issued legal document that demands an abuser stops harming or harassing someone. The perpetrator breached this requirement by continually contacting Deborah, so we filed for Order of Protection violations. After months of advocacy and then criminal charges, the abuser was jailed.
Our safety plan helped ensure Deborah was protected socially, emotionally, and physically.
Olivia Messina, our Tennessee Program Lead, said: “This was an incredibly challenging time for our client, who was a victim of domestic violence and had previously been trafficked. Our case management team worked hard to support this client through the court process, and to assist her in moving to a safe location. We had a brief timeline to do this whilst her abuser was in jail, and her safety was our absolute priority.”
Our teams found a new place for Deborah to live, with further safety measures to protect her. Hope for Justice connected her with financial empowerment resources (to assist her with budgeting, money management, taxes, debt management), which gave her a firm footing to help find a job. She really enjoys her work and is actively planning for her future.
Mary Hill, our Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, said: “One of my favorite things is seeing my clients grow in confidence and hope, with the desire to move forward in life.”
Deborah recently told our team that she feels much safer and feels better able to heal from her previous traumatic experiences.
In this blog you can read more about our survivor support services in Tennessee: Hope for Justice launches new survivor support service in Tennessee | Hope for Justice.
*Name and images changed to protect identity of the survivor
