Joanna & Emma

Joanna came to The Shelter with Emma in her arms. As she talked with the intake advocate, she shared that she had called The Shelter’s crisis line several times in the past but had never actually
come to emergency shelter before.

Her eyes filled with tears. Tonight was different.

She and her husband had been eating dinner while Emma played with her toys in a corner of the room. It was not uncommon for meals to be an outlet of violence for Joanna’s husband. Tonight, he lunged across the table and knocked Joanna out of her chair.

As she lay sprawled on the floor, her first thought was that it could have been worse. Then, hearing a small cry, Joanna looked up to see Emma’s tiny face filled with distress as the toddler pushed herself to her feet and took her very first steps to come to her mother’s aid.

In that moment, Joanna realized she had to leave her abusive relationship and find help, not only for herself but also for her daughter.