HOPE Place Stories

A Brighter Future
Client A - Client A is 44 yrs old and has been married to her abuser for over 25 years. The abuse has taken place throughout the marriage. She has a high school education but hasn't worked outside the home for several years. She and her two children came to HOPE Place from a rural county. The first obstacle this family had to overcome was the teenage girls' fear of the "Big City" of Huntsville and the things they had been told. They were reluctant to attend school in Huntsville. However, the girls overriding fear was of their father.

After several conversations with HOPE Place staff, she and her children decided to stay in Huntsville and try to overcome the fears of the unknown. Client A and her children stayed at HOPE Place then relocated to a safe area. Client A returned to school and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. She intends to continue her education. The girls' grades have improved significantly and they have made many friends. Client A got a Protection Order for herself and her daughters because her husband continued to harass them and to make threats on their lives. Client A is pursuing a divorce and she and her daughters regularly attend HOPE Place support groups. She now says, "I see HOPE for a brighter future."

Unique Obstacles
Client B - Client B is from Mexico. She has no family in North Alabama and speaks very little English. Although she has family members in another state, she doesn't know how to contact them.

Client B's first obstacle was a language barrier. With help from a Spanish-speaking HOPE Place staff member, Client B was able to become oriented to shelter services, to receive emotional support (from staff and other residents), and to get information about her rights to protection from abuse. Also, through the assistance of an Internet-based translation program, she was able to communicate with other staff members and residents. HOPE Place staff provided Client B with a referral for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes available through a local community college, as well as information about a local Hispanic advocacy group who could help her to get to those classes.

The second obstacle Client B encountered was being undocumented for work. HOPE Place staff connected her with a local point of contact for her to learn about the provisions for battered immigrants under the Violence Against Women Act to begin the process to get her green card.

Through HOPE Place staffs coordination with another advocacy organization, Client B was able to locate her family. Her mother had believed that client B had died. She was grateful to learn that her daughter was indeed alive. Once Client B was reunited with her mother by phone, she laid the groundwork to relocate to the community where her family was living.

He Refused to Let Her Go
Client C - Reading Client C's story is like reading a movie script. In her own words...

"I awoke one morning to the sound of his voice saying, " Wake up, I want to ask you something." I knew from the sing-song tone in his voice that he was in a bad mood. I opened my eyes slowly, praying I was wrong. There he stood, over me, feet planted far apart, arms folded over his chest, an arrogant thin-lipped smile on his face. His eyes were slitted. Immediately, my heart began to pound in my chest, throat and ears. Before I could finish saying," What is it?" he leaped down on the bed, landing on top of me, his hands like vices on my throat....

"I see a definite pattern of abuse, faked remorse, manipulation, escalation, intimidation and then more abuse. My husband's behavior is extreme, erratic, unpredictable, violent and frightening. One moment he's a kind, sweet attentive husband. Then suddenly, he becomes like Norman Bates of Hitchcock's Psycho, ranting, pacing, slamming, muttering, and destroying. I'm afraid of him. I believe with all my heart that he presents a real danger to me and possibly to himself. He feels no remorse, guilt or need to change... I believe if I don't escape now, he'll kill me one day."

Client C was a beautiful woman with a child. She was an LPN. She had been married to her abuser only 7 months when she came to HOPE Place. Early in the relationship she saw the red flags. She relocated to another apartment and began to pursue a divorce. At first she believed her husband had returned to his hometown to live. But for several months after she left him, he continued to stalk and harass her, eventually killing her. Client C died of burns she suffered in a fire her husband started in her apartment. She suffered second and third degree burns over 50 percent of her body. Her husband was originally charged with first degree arson and attempted murder but after her death, was charged with capital murder.