Impact Success Narrative 1 #DVAM

Emergency Hotel Stay Assistance

"I received a crisis call from a local shelter advocate late one evening. The shelter advocate let me know that they had a victim of domestic violence that recently fled their abuser and had been staying on the streets with their children. The shelter advocate let me know that the victim had called all local shelters and all shelters in the area were at capacity, leaving the victim with no other safe option. I immediately asked to connect with the victim and began our process of requesting an emergency hotel stay for the victim and their children while they wait for shelter placement to become available.

The victim fled their abuser days before with the few belongings they could get out of the home. They and their children had stayed in their car for the past few days, parking in various places due to the abuser stalking them. The victim had nowhere to go and was too fearful to even sleep in their car. After answering all of my questions and telling me their story, the victim began crying. They told me that they were thankful for me even if I was not able to help their family find safe housing that evening because they felt heard. They told me how, in the days since they left, they felt like they were not being treated decently by those they had reached out to for help. I let the victim know I would do everything I could to find them and their children a safe place to stay this evening.

When I called the victim less than an hour later to let them know that we booked a hotel room only minutes from where they were, the victim began sobbing. They thanked me profusely and told me I was their "angel." I was very glad to have given the victim and their children a safe place to stay."

Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center

To learn more about our Impact on the community, register and join us during our Virtual Summit on October 26th. If you or a loved one needs supportive services for domestic violence or sexual assault, call our confidential crisis line at 317-731-6140. In the case of an emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately.