Hannah is a child...

Hannah is a child who came to New Beginnings with her mother. Both she and her mother endured physical and sexual abuse. During her time at New Beginnings, Hannah was having a lot of emotional problems, and found it difficult to relate to other children and adults. Her mom was confused and frustrated, uncertain how to help her. Hannah's mother attended New Beginnings' parenting group, learned to respond to her daughter more positively and began to understand what Hannah was going through.

Suddenly, Hannah's father found her and her mother through a private investigator. Her mother quit her job and left the area, taking Hannah with her. Hannah's mother told her they were going on a long vacation; she did not tell her that her father had found them. This time she was able to handle a crisis with her daughter's needs in mind and minimize the effect of yet another disruption in Hannah's life.

Beatrice's Story

Beatrice Rose called New Beginnings while she was hiding out at her brother’s house in South Seattle. Her husband of three years held complete control over her everyday life, intimidating her with a glance from across the room. He hit her in the face so hard that her tooth punctured her lip, resulting in a trip to the emergency room and six stitches. The abuse escalated from that incident to constantly attacking her by kicking, pushing, slapping, and even pulling her out of a moving vehicle in order to prevent her from leaving.

When Beatrice became pregnant and her attention shifted to her unborn child, he became irate; further intensifying his violence towards her. He caused her to lose a baby in the past and she was terrified that history would repeat itself.

With a lot of courage and a bit of hope, Beatrice called New Beginnings, while 8 ½ months pregnant, ready to take her life back. During her stay at the shelter, she connected to other residents and spent time with the women’s advocates learning safety planning, setting goals, and figuring out her patterns of involvement in abusive relationships. She also linked up with community resources, developed an in-depth birthing plan, met with outside providers such as the mental health therapist and the YWCA health care advocate. She went through a lot of trauma at the hands of her husband, but she is now determined to live life on her own terms. In September, Beatrice moved to a transitional housing program and, soon after, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Finally they are free, safe, and happy thanks to her incredible spirit and hard work along with the support of her community.

He told her she had no rights

Tula grew up in an abusive family in another country. Her father was an alcoholic and would beat his wife and children. Tula had some education and worked in her home village. The man to whom she had been promised brought her to America. He found her a job cleaning offices at night. When she wasn't working she was isolated at home. She had no friends. No one saw her bruises. Her husband told her that women had no rights and if she did anything against him she would be deported. Tula overcame her fear and went to the police for help. She went to a domestic violence emergency shelter and began to rebuild her life, eventually coming to our Transitional Housing Program.

Tula knows that if she goes back to her village she will be ostracized and possibly killed. She decided to make her home in the United States. Tula worked on her immigration status, applied for asylum, and received her green card. She went back to school for a professional certificate program and found a full time job. She has since gotten a divorce and possession of one of the cars - all she asked for. She feels better about herself and knows she was not responsible for the abuse.

She wanted a better life...

Alana came to the United States ten years ago through an arranged marriage. She was physically abused, isolated in her marriage, and knew no one except her in-laws. Alana wanted a better life for herself and her children and finally was able to leave. She came to New Beginnings through our Emergency Shelter. Soon after moving into our Transitional Housing Program Alana went back to school for her GED and began studying at a community college. She received her driver's license and has bought a car. Alana now has her own apartment through the Section 8 program and is almost through with school.

During her stay at New Beginnings, Alana began to feel more confident. She no longer feels guilty for making her children lose their father. Her children witnessed the abuse and now understand that it was wrong.

The only thing holding Alana back is the divorce. Because of her husband's legal maneuvers, the divorce is not yet finalized.