Monday, April 14, 2008

Get Out - Seek Shelter

If you are being abused it is important that you get away from the scene of the abuse. Not long ago a woman called me. She wanted to sue a local police department for the death of her sister. who had been in a violent relationship and sought a protective order from the court. Shortly after the police came out to investigate a fight between the abuser and the abused woman. Instead of arresting him on the protective order as they should have done, they gave him a "talking to" and told him to stay away from the woman. The following day, she received a call that the abuser was at the hospital and needed a ride home. The last time she was seen alive was on the hospital videotape. Later that night she was found dead near the home of her abuser's sister. This will be a very difficult wrongful death case to make against the police because in the final analysis, the woman put herself in danger.

People who abuse are most likely to inflict deadly violence when they know you plan to leave. Once you make the decision to leave, get to a shelter and stay out of the path of the abuser. If you need to escape domestic violence, seek shelter. Your whereabouts will be kept confidential. Metro Atlanta area shelters include the ones listed below.

Athens
Project Safe, Inc.
Crisis Line: (706) 543-3331

Atlanta
Partnership Against Domestic Violence,
Inc.
Crisis Line: (404) 873-1766

Carrollton
Carroll County Emergency Shelter, Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 834-1141

Clayton
Fight Abuse in the Home (FAITH), Inc.
Crisis Line: (888) 782-1338

Columbus
Columbus Alliance for Battered Women, Inc.
Crisis Line: (706) 571-0188

Conyers
Project Renewal Domestic Violence
Intervention Program, Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 860-1666

Decatur
International Women's House, Inc.
Crisis Line: (404) 299-1550

Decatur
Women's Resource Center to End
Domestic Violence, Inc. (Women Moving On)
Crisis Line: (404) 688-9436

Douglasville
S.H.A.R.E. House, Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 489-7513

Gainesville
Gateway House, Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 536-5860

Lawrenceville
Partnership Against Domestic Violence,Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 963-9799

Macon
Macon Salvation Army Safe House
Crisis Line: (478) 738-9800

Marietta
YWCA of Northwest Georgia
Crisis Line: (770) 427-3390

McDonough
Flint Circuit Council on Family
Violence, Inc. (Haven House)
Crisis Line: (770) 954-9229

Morrow
Association on Battered Women of
Clayton County, Inc. (Securus House)
Crisis Line: (770) 961-7233

Warner Robins
Warner Robins Salvation Army
Crisis Line: (478) 923-6294

Winder
Peace Place, Inc.
Crisis Line: (770) 586-0927

For a more shelters in Georgia for survivors of domestic violence, visit

http://www.gadfcs.org/familyviolence/startdocs/service_area_map.pdf

or

http://www.gcadv.org/pdf/DHR_Shelters.pdf

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