Eliza’s DV Survivor Story
December 6th, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
Eliza* fled the home where she once thought she would grow old with her partner with the clothes on her back, a few essentials, her son, and their four cats. She had all she really needed: an escape from violence with the family who mattered most. But just as one nightmare was ending, another was waiting for them when they made it to a domestic violence shelter.
The cats, Hunky*, BooBoo*, Sweetie*, and Grizz*, would not be joining Eliza and her son at the shelter. Their advocate could see how heartbroken Eliza’s son was to find out he would not have his buddies there to comfort him. This family, like many facing this tough decision, might rather go back home and be with the cats than be safe but apart. It would only be a temporary solution, but they helped Eliza find a safe place for all four cats to go for the time being, so she and her son could stay at the shelter.
The problem was the cats could only stay in one boarding facility for so long before needing to find another one. Every time they moved, they found themselves in unfamiliar, small cages with no space to roam free. And while Eliza could visit them every day, the situation was beginning to take a toll on everybody’s well-being.
Gray-coated Grizz was the oldest boy at five years old, followed by three-and-a-half-year-old tabby boys Hunky and BooBoo, and three-and-a-half-year-old pretty white-coated girl Sweetie. For their whole lives, they had shown Eliza and her son support, comfort, and love; the surest sources of joy in the hard times they endured. She owed them a debt of gratitude, and was intent on protecting them until they could be together again.
A RedRover Relief Safe Escape grant is a reliable resource for survivors and their advocates when every other solution seems flawed. Eliza’s advocate noted when filling out the application on her behalf that, “The family’s main concern is to be able to reconnect with the cats and start a new beginning. A future without the cats can cause more trauma for the family and is an unthinking thought for them. A future without them will cause a deeper wound during this crisis.”
Once she’d received a Safe Escape grant, Eliza was able to bring all four of her babies to another boarding facility where they could stay, safe and with plenty of room to roam, for the duration of her time in the domestic violence shelter. It meant the world to her and her son that they didn’t lose their family members. When it was time to leave the shelter, not only were Eliza and the cats reunited, but she was able to find a new home where they could all live together in peace. The nightmare was finally over, and it seemed like a dream come true.
With Eliza, her son, and the cats on their way to their next chapter, her advocate reached out one last time to express their gratitude for the Safe Escape grant program.
“I truly appreciate the service you all provide our clients, because in transitioning to a shelter, they lose a lot already. It is great that they have one less loss, losing their pets, to experience based on the service you provide.”
This is the life-changing difference your support of RedRover’s domestic violence assistance programs makes – directly aiding survivors by protecting their pets when all else seems lost. Thank you for being an important part of a better future for survivors like Eliza and the pets they call family!
Please consider making a Safe Escape possible for every survivor with a generous gift today.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
