October 31, 2024
Liz was 41 years old when she realized she needed to flee to an emergency shelter with her 3-year-old daughter. Liz was in a relationship with her partner, Ben, for almost four years. She suffered mental, physical, and emotional abuse throughout her relationship. Liz and Ben shared an apartment with his mother. She was not allowed to have her own key to the apartment and was forced to always stay inside, or else she’d be locked out. Liz felt that Ben always wanted to be in control of her. She left once but could not find anywhere to go and had no choice but to return. Ben kept Liz isolated so she was not able to ask anyone for help or advice. One day after an altercation, she built up the courage to call the police. However, since she did not present any physical evidence, police were unable to arrest him. The police helped her leave the apartment and provided a list of DV emergency shelter hotlines. This is when she was first introduced to Rainbow Services.
When she left, she was only able to pack the very minimum. She immediately called Rainbow’s 24/7 hotline and was assisted by a trauma-informed-care Residential Advocate. Liz told the Rainbow Staff that she no longer wanted to be with him and did not want to go back. The workers immediately assisted her, and she was accepted into the program.
Once in the shelter, Liz was able to connect with Residential Advocates and the Supportive Services Advocate, who referred her to Rainbow’s Housing Department. In just 25 days of being in the program, the Housing Team was able to find her a place of her own. During this time, staff assisted Liz in job searching, and she was able to secure employment before moving out of Rainbow House.
Liz always felt that she could accomplish her goals, but just needed a little bit of help. She said she was so thankful that Rainbow provided her a safe place for her and her daughter to heal. Liz moved to her own place in record time! Before leaving, Liz shared that she felt empowered about all her life changes with the help of Rainbow. She said she felt strong and was not looking back. She shared, “All I needed was a little more time to recover and find a safe place to live. My life began with the help of Rainbow Services.”
