DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

An Almoner's Story: A grant of $409 made it possible for a mother and her children to resume their lives after escaping from their abuser.

Nora is the mother of four school-age children, and is employed as a receptionist, earning 10.85 per hour. During her 21-year marriage, Nora was often subjected to her husband's violent outbursts, resulting in several hospitalizations.

One afternoon Nora's 15-year-old son tried to force his parents apart to stop his father from repeatedly punching his mother. Furious, his father reached for a loaded handgun and threatened the boy, firing at the wall and shooting a hole right through it.

At that moment, Nora knew she had to act; she rounded up her children and fled to a city shelter, leaving without any personal possessions.

I encountered Nora at the shelter, and we went clothes shopping together. I used $409 from my Havens allocation to purchase work clothes for Nora and school clothes for her children — making it possible for her to report to work without missing any days, and for all her children to continue in school without interruption. 

Note: for confidentiality, names have been changed and photo does not depict the actual people discussed here.