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Recently, a pregnant client who entered our Safe Homes emergency shelter program expressed that for so long she gave up hope as a mechanism for survival.

Every time she’d get her hopes up about getting the protection she deserved from her abuser, she was met with that sinking feeling of falling. Hope became a rug that was quickly pulled up from under her. Doors closed each time she sought help, and she found herself falling back into a series of unsafe relationships - until she reached out to Compass Center for court advocacy services and support.

Now Erinn can finally pause and breathe.

Erinn is so much more than her trauma, she is a considerate, funny, kind, and wise mom. She’s giving birth in a week, but she admits that in a way it feels like she is the one being reborn. After relying on her personal grit and perseverance to protect her and her son from the ongoing cycle of violence Erinn is finally in a place where she feels safe.. A few months ago she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her baby, but with support from Compass Center and donors like you, she’s confident that she can keep her son and baby out of the foster care system she experienced before being adopted.

Erinn is the second mother to give birth in one of our Safe Homes since they opened in 2021, and she will likely not be the last. Research and experience show that abuse among pregnant women and new mothers is all too common. What’s worse, pregnant people are more likely to die from homicide that is linked to domestic violence than from any pregnancy-related health condition. Compass Center’s work to prevent violence and support those experiencing an abusive relationship helps to improve life not only for the parents being abused - but also for their children and families. You help us plant those seeds of hope for our community. The gardens we grow together with your help give children glimpses of possibility that they have never seen before and help them escape the cycle of abuse too.

Compass Center needs your help to meet the growing needs of families in our communities to help us ensure that our doors stay open to survivors like Erinn when government resources have continued to dwindle. We can’t afford to lose staff or programs when the cost of domestic violence in this community continues to rise and impact us all. With your continued support, we can dare to hope for more and start to envision a world free from violence.

Hope doesn’t mean things are perfectly ok - hope is the knowing that things can change. Hope is the willingness to trust that change is possible even without all the answers. When you give a gift to Compass Center you plant seeds of change for families caught in a cycle of relationship abuse. You create a garden where things have the potential to grow even when met with some of the hardest challenges life can present. Be a gardener of hope for our clients by making your gift today!

To read more about Erinn's story click here

*Names have been changed for confidentiality