3-Degree Guarantee: Helping survivors of domestic violence rebuild their lives

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Three Degree Guarantee helps raise money for nonprofit organizations serving the metro Atlanta community.

One of those organizations has an important message: there is life after leaving an awful situation.

For many survivors of domestic violence, peace starts with a call to the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

”I greet the new residents when they come in; some with just the clothes on their back. Children with no clothes. I see the terror in their eyes. I get to see the changes when they learn to smile, when they learn to discover who they are, and who they want to be,” said Nancy Slater.

The resource center has a 24-hour crisis hotline. Slater is one of the people who answer the phone.

“I am a survivor,” said Slater.

She understands, but she also knows what resources, and organizations to reach out to, to help that person do whatever feels right for them.

“Society continues to put guilt and shame on a victim, on a person who has experienced intimate partner violence,” said Slater.

She works in the safe house, a place for women and children to come and start getting back up on their feet again, to feel safe, away from their abusers. Slater tells Atlanta News First she can get up to 15 calls during one shift.

“This is a way to put things back together in a way that is really intentional. We try and help people think not just about what they are running away from, but what they are running to,” said Barbara Gibson with the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

The average stay here is 5 months.

“It is really about misusing power, it is about taking unauthorized control over a person’s life. That can happen to anyone, even people who have good jobs, people who have high self-esteem. Domestic violence can happen to anyone,” said Barbara.

There are currently 16 children at the safe house, including three sets of twins, so donations like diapers can make a big difference.

Remember that domestic violence can happen to anyone. There is a 24-7 hotline you can call if you need help, or just need to talk to someone about what help could look like. The number is 404-688-9436.

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