In a violent home, everyone is a victim.
Allie knew she needed to leave her abusive relationship. But leaving could mean being forced to leave her beloved dog, Rocky, behind. Would her abuser kill Rocky if she left, like he had threatened to do so many times before? Allie wasn’t willing to risk it, and she wasn't willing to seek shelter for herself if it meant leaving Rocky behind. Torn between protecting Rocky and protecting herself, Allie felt helpless and trapped.
Threatening, injuring, or even killing the family pet are tactics routinely used to control victims. In over 85% of homes with domestic violence, pets are victims too. Allie’s situation was all too common, as nearly half of victims report being unwilling to leave an abuser unless they can ensure their pet’s safety in the process.
The love between a person and their pet should not be used by an abuser to create a barrier against leaving a violent relationship. Thanks to donors like you, survivors don’t have to choose between their beloved pet and their safety. Our Safe Pet Shelter Program partners with local animal shelters to provide housing and care for pets while survivors stay at Grace Smith House, allowing the entire family to heal in safety.
Your contribution this holiday season goes to providing housing, counseling and advocacy to survivors like Allie, and services for all other members of families impacted by abuse – including Rocky, through our Safe Pet Shelter Program. Your gift gave Allie the resources she needed to escape her abusive relationship.
Please make a gift today, and help make the holidays bright, cheerful and safe for families who count on Grace Smith House. And dogs like Rocky, too.
How Your Donation Helps:
Give $50 - Helps support programming like our 24-hour crisis hotlines to help victims assess their individual situation, assist in creating a safety plan for themselves and their children, and understand options available to them.
Give $100 - Helps support programming like our family-style secure shelter, which offers space for individuals and children up to the age of 18 (boys and girls). Contributions assist in providing housing, and counselling to clients of Grace Smith House.
Give $250 - Helps support programming like our legal advocacy, which includes providing expert assistance in filing orders of protection, reclaiming property, securing parental rights, and ensuring every survivor recieves fair treatment in court.
Give $500 - Helps supports programming like our childrens' services, which focuses on a trauma-informed approach to serving children who have been exposed to family violence.
Give $1,000 - Helps support efforts by Grace Smith House to break the cycle of domestic violence in our community and across the county through community outreach, public policy initatives, educational outreach, and so much more.
THANK YOU for supporting survivors of domestic violence and their children!