Laura

Laura, married with four young children, was a victim of domestic violence for years. Like so many victims, she thought she had the situation “under control” because her husband had not lashed out at others – he only hit her.

Then the violence began to escalate. Fortunately for Laura and her children, she recognized this change – sadly, too many women do not. To Laura, the signal was obvious when her children, a toddler and three elementary students, went outside to play and found their family pet hanging from the tree in the backyard. It seemed purposely placed so they would find it. Laura frantically gathered her children and drove them straight to Children’s Home Society of Florida’s Crisis Nursery, an emergency shelter for children from birth to 11 years old who are in dangerous, abusive or neglected situations.

Finding safe haven for four young children can be challenging, but the Crisis Nursery is well suited to shelter sibling groups. You can imagine that in times of extreme circumstance, such as witnessing or being the victim of abuse, how important it is to keep brothers and sisters together. To split these children up adds to their trauma.

Laura was able to secure a job, go to counseling and get her life back together while the great staff at the Crisis Nursery provided a safe and loving environment for four precious children. All needed to begin recovery from the effects domestic violence – they had witnessed far too much.

CHS was able to help Laura and her children in a holistic way, providing immediate safety and addressing long-term emotional needs. Later, Laura sent the Crisis Nursery a card simply stating, “Thank you for helping me start a new life.”