Support rape victims ages 4 to 71 years old

Eve and her three children came to the Center’s emergency shelter after Eve found out that her husband had been molesting their daughter. The abuse had been going on for some time and when Eve’s daughter broke down and confided in her school counselor, Eve took immediate action. She took the children and fled their home. The guidance counselor referred the family to the Center for Safety & Change, where they were given shelter.

Eve was distraught, she thought that her children would be “damaged” for life by their experience. She was ridden with guilt for not noticing anything and thus protecting her daughter from what had been happening. When Eve and her children first arrived at the shelter, Eve had nothing – no work, no income, no experience with finances… To her, it seemed the world had collapsed and her life was irreparable.

By working with the Center’s advocates, Eve came to understand and embrace that the abuse her daughter had experienced was not her fault. She saw that her children were not broken, and that there was a possibility for them all to heal.

Little by little, and with the help of her advocates, Eve began picking up the pieces and she began to remember her own passions. Eve had always been passionate about cooking. When the Center’s advocates found out they helped her obtain a scholarship at a culinary school and so Eve took the steps to build a new life for her and her children.

The Center’s advocates helped Eve restore her faith and helped her realize her dream to open a restaurant. Eve owns her restaurant till this day, and with that she is able to support herself and her children and even send them to college.