Esperanza's Mission of Hope

In 1975 Social Worker Ruby Scarborough. realized the desperate need for a local shelter for battered women in Santa Fe. The following year her colleague, Mary Justice, who was a staff member of the Sangre de Cristo Mental Health Center. wrote and received a federal grant request to fund a women's shelter, For the first time, a small shelter for abused women was set up on Williams Street in Santa Fe; not long after the shelter was moved to Old Santa Fe Trail. Eventually, the current shelter property was donated and today Esperanza Shelter can house 32 domestic abuse survivors. Forty years later. Esperanza Shelter continues to wrap its arms around each and every domestic abuse survivor who comes through our doors. Today's programs are a far cry from the mentality of 1976 which sought to simply provide a safe haven for "battered women." Yes—we save lives—but we also shape futures. Esperanto Shelter primarily serves Santa Fc Counts-and the eight Northern Pueblos. We occasionally shelter domestic abuse victims from other parts of New Mexico and even some from other parts of the U.S. when necessary. Esperanza Shelter has been committed to its mission for 40 years. In 20r, Esperanto Shelter continues to offer emergency shelter to survivors. but it also provides individual and group counseling, court advocacy and assistance with housing. Educational programs such as Hope in learning exist to lilt women up by providing free tutoring for GED 55and I citizenship testing, as well as EM. training. 'the grant provides hooks. testing fees, transportation and baby g too. Our child therapist helps children who have witnessed or directly experienced abuse to work through their grief. mace ann poem-programs come° at rrpera nra nen/ to release trauma from the body and allow survivors to understand they are smart, creaciw, confident and beautiful. Back in 1976, no one could have imagined it, but today Esperanto Shelter offers an Offenders Program as well. Breaking the cycle of violence is the goal. Approximately 95% of domestic violence offenders were abused as children or witnessed abuse in their homes. Childhood abuse will never serve as an excuse for violence, but it does show us the importance of an intervention program. As someone who cares about Esperanto Shelter, you stand with other supporters recognizing that we have come a long way but we continue to have work to do. There are women still trapped in abusive, hopeless relationships. We ask you to continue to lend a hand and financial support as we move into the future and strive to make domestic abuse a thing of the past. Esperanza Shekels Mission is to empower people to live violence-free lives.