Continued…
Much to her dismay, the judge only ordered a one year restraining order. The Legal Advocate then assisted her with the divorce. There were numerous hearings involved in her case, and Advocates for our office, as well as a law student/intern, accompanied our client to the hearings for support and clarification as to what was happening during the long complicated court process. The restraining order expired in 2003; however, our client was still terrified of her abuser. An attorney with our Program agreed to take this case to court and argue to have the restraining order extended. The attorney was successful and a three year order was issued protecting our client and her daughter. By the end of 2003 our client had obtained her divorce, and had a three year restraining order.

While working with her client, our Advocate ascertained that the client had a dream of finishing college. The advocate encouraged the client to pursue her dream and gave her some useful resources. Last month this client called her old advocate to share some very special news. This client graduated from college this spring, and is planning to go to law school to become an attorney and assist domestic violence victims. She thanked the advocate for all she had done, both legally and emotionally.

After leaving my abusive husband in the middle
of the night, I arrived at Becky's House Emergency Shelter€¦
Read Sheila's Story

The wonderful staff and community atmosphere make Becky's House a great place for women and children to live.
Read Evelyn's Story

My children and I became homeless when I lost my job
and we were evicted from our apartment.
Read Jennifer's Story

I arrived at the ywca penniless and broken-hearted
A terrible divorce and poor investment decision left me homeless€¦
Read Tracy's Story

When Kathy Kelsey's husband pointed a gun at her in December 2005, she wasn't scared. He had pointed it at her before, but it had never been loaded. Kathy didn't think Mike would actually shoot her. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor with a round of birdshot in her head.
Read Kathy's Story

Augustine Alvarez is a single father of three children;
two boys ages 5 & 8, and one daughter, age 11. With no place to go, Augustine and his three children moved into their car,
a 1996 Geo Metro.
Read Augustine's Story

It is always a pleasure when a client makes contact with
to let her know that she is doing well years after she first received assistance from the YWCA Legal Advocacy Program. Recently, just such a phone call occurred.
Betty's Story Above