One might expect a huge sigh of relief from domestic violence survivors when they initially come to the Safe Home. However, more often than not their minds are still very busy when they first arrive. Even though they are now physically in a safe place, having had the courage to flee from a dangerous situation, most clients still have a long way to go before they feel truly at ease.
As an advocate for the families who stay at the Safe Home, I get to hear about the many different goals clients wish to accomplish while they’re with us. Some want to go back to school or are already thinking about potential employment opportunities. Other clients have legal matters that they require assistance with, and just about everybody has long-term housing on their mind. Some clients have more specific goals, such as passing a road test or improving their English.
All of these are important, and we encourage the clients to set goals for themselves. What many survivors don’t come in thinking about though is how they are going to heal, and what they can do for self care. We try to remind them that these types of goals are just as important as any other, which is why it is so essential to have access to both counseling and advocacy services while at the house. For some clients, goals might change as their time spent in the Safe Home allows them to discover things they didn’t know about themselves and what they wanted. Many clients even develop friendships with the other survivors in the house and subsequently help empower each other.
The ultimate hope is that when the time does come for a client to move on, they leave with a little more peace of mind than when they first came in, and they can be one step closer to taking that sigh of relief.
– Safe Home Advocate