Lauren, a mother of four children, entered Human Options’ emergency shelter after making the brave decision to leave her husband after facing years of abuse. In her attempt to flee their violent home, Lauren’s four children were taken by CPS due to witnessing the severity of the domestic violence incident inflected on Lauren from her abuser.
Lauren quickly got to work while she was at the emergency shelter to provide everything she needed to secure a safe future for her children. During her marriage, Lauren experienced financial abuse in which her husband made her responsible for all their expenses, including accumulating thousands of dollars in past due rent. Working closely with her case managers and housing navigator, Lauren was able to get her finances in order and identify a plan to pay off her rental arrears with the assistance of the Acceleration Fund; removing barriers preventing Lauren from securing permanent housing. All her hard work paid off as she was able to secure a 3-bedroom condominium through an Emergency Housing Voucher.
Experiencing foster care, teenage pregnancy and domestic violence all before Lauren was 24 years old, she was determined to break the cycle of abuse for her children. During her time in the emergency shelter, Lauren was able to enroll in therapy and participate in Personal Empowerment classes. For the first time in her life, Lauren expressed that she was able to learn about what healthy relationships are and pass that onto her children.
Through Human Options support, Lauren and her children were able to move into their new home just in time for the holidays. She is now empowered to continue therapy for herself and her children on their journey of healing and looks forward to reconnecting with her community to build a support system.
