Has anyone ever had to go to the Womens Haven? I have a fried that needs to get away from her abussive husband. She has heard about the Womens Haven in Fort Worth and is thinking about going thre with her 3 children. What kind of support do they offer? Is there somewhere else she could go? Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
A relative of mine went there, she also had 3 kids.
They helped her find a job, a home, funding to help her pay for her home/food/child care...
It saved her and her children's life.
Yes, the Women's Haven would be a great first call to make. They offer a lot of services (childcare, job search help, counseling etc etc) but the first thing is SAFETY. Please call as soon as possible.
If her husband is abusive, she should find a good family law attorney and have him kicked out of her house and ordered to support her and the children. Tell her to go to www.tcflba.com and click on Find a Lawyer. This is the Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association.
D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys
I have not, but I do work in the non-profit field in Fort Worth. Just so you know, Women's Haven merged with another DV shelter and is now Safe Haven. They offer all types of support for DV victims. Good luck to you and your friend.
I used to work at Women's Haven (before it became Safe Haven). They offer legal advocacy, after school programs for children in the shelter (while mom's are out working), job help, apt. help, and other things that that women and their children have need for during that time.
She needs to get away from the abuser asap........a clean break is best because if she wavers (going back and forth), it just gives him more control/power over her life.
There is another program similar to Women's Haven called Open Arms - I worked for them for 5 years as their Financial Manager. They are actually a long-term shelter - up to 2 years - and most of their clients come from places like Women's Haven which usually have a shorter period of time that you can stay in them. I need to mention that it has been 5 years since I worked for Open Arms, so many things have surely changed in those 5 years, so some of my information may be dated. Open Arms is run by the Community Enrichment Center - www.thecec.org. Encourage your friend to go to their website and see what all they say you should do before you leave. It even has instructions on how to erase your path on the computer that you ever went to that website if she is afraid he will find that. She does need to be prepared with important papers for her and her children and she needs to carefully plan her escape. I think statistics show that a woman will leave her abusive husband/partner 7 times before she finally leaves him for good, so be prepared for this, as her friend. Hopefully she will see the danger in staying with him and will make a clean break all at once. Domestic violence touches so many lives, no matter your economic status, and sometimes it is the wealthiest women who are in these situations and find it very difficult to leave their lovely home and lifestyle - which is so understandable. Encourage your friend to look into Women's Haven and other places that can help her. It really doesn't matter where she goes - just as long as it is safe. You may wish to call one of these places yourself and see how they might advise you to help her. Ultimately, she's the one that has to decide if she's ready, but if you are prepared to help her and know how best to encourage her, it may make the difference in her leaving and staying gone or not. Best wishes.
Diane is right about no one knowing anything about the houses. I have never had to use their services, but we have done work for them. We signed a Confidentiality Agreement. They take the privacy and safety of the women and children that are there very seriously. They do an awesome job with helping the women get back on their feet and help them and the children work through everything.
I am a member of several organizations that raise money for them as well. It is great to see the money going to a very important organization and see it used for women and children who need the help.
I've never been to the shelter, but I received some free legal advice and other services there a long time ago during my first marriage. Since that time, I've participated in service projects for SafeHaven, and I'm personally acquainted with two of the administrators there. They are all kind, caring, and competent people.
Your friend should check out their website, call, and/or visit the office to see the full range of services.
She should plan her escape very carefully. The most dangerous time for an abused woman is the time when she leaves and the husband realizes he has lost control over her. That's what was happening a lot of the time when you hear about a woman being killed by her husband.
They are VERY careful about protecting the women. No one is allowed to know where the safe houses are, except for a very select few people. She should get some instructions for how to prepare, unless it is important to leave right away. Give her as much encouragement as you can, because it takes a lot of guts to leave, even when staying is hell.
