22 October 2014

The Salvation Army in Western Washington has been providing services to victims of domestic violence (“DV”) for more than 30 years at its Catherine Booth House – a confidentially located emergency shelter, accessible 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Natalie's Story

“Natalie” came to Catherine Booth House with her two children after leaving her abusive husband. She said they married at age 19 and initially she mistook his possessive and controlling behaviors for love. He progressed to verbal abuse and then began to isolate her from her family and restrict her activities. She was not allowed to work outside the home or go anywhere without him. The physical abuse began after the birth of their first daughter and escalated in severity as time went on. After a particularly violent episode where she was kicked and choked, she called The Salvation Army for help.

On arrival to our shelter Natalie was met by a specially trained domestic violence advocate. Natalie expressed concerns common to most survivors – future housing and employment, finding a daycare unknown to her husband, obtaining a protection order, legal processes for child support or visitation in the future, and how to tell her family what had happened. Although she knew she had to flee, she felt guilty about taking the children and overwhelmed by the idea of being a single mom for the first time. Natalie’s assigned advocate reassured her and settled her into her unit – her relief was obvious when she saw that her family would have their own fully furnished and supplied apartment, complete with a kitchen and bathroom.

In the following weeks, Natalie was provided with basic needs items like diapers, food, hygiene supplies and clothing to replace items left behind in the hurry to leave. She underwent extensive education on the dynamics of domestic violence relationships and learned to “safety plan.” Her advocate helped her to apply for DSHS benefits and provided her with bus tickets for appointments. She was assigned a “housing coordinator” and applied for suitable low income transitional and permanent housing programs. While the children were entertained in play groups, Natalie participated in our weekly victims and parenting support groups. She reported coming to understand the extent to which her husband used threats to the children to control her, and how his relentless emotional abuse and insults had dismantled her self-esteem.

Although she continued to sometimes feel overwhelmed and afraid, she was growing more confident in her ability to provide for herself and her children on her own. After eight weeks at Catherine Booth House, Natalie was referred to a transitional housing program for DV survivors. There she could stay for up to 24 months while she gathered the skills and resources to become self-sufficient. The program was a good fit and provided the specialized trauma focused services she and her children required. We occasionally hear from Natalie: she has a full time job in a retail store now, is divorced and is set to move out into her own place soon. She says that The Salvation Army gave her a second chance to live a peaceful and happy life with her children.

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The continued work of The Salvation Army in western Washington relies on the generosity of donors. If you would like to help us provide programs such as domestic violence shelters, food banks and other vital services, please consider making an online donation today. Your donation stays in your community where it will be used to fund much-needed community programs for those in need. Every donation you make helps The Salvation Army continue "Doing The Most Good" both today and in the future.

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