“It was as if I’d sunk into an ocean, I didn’t know which direction I should be going.“

After ten years of enduring her husband’s controlling, abusive, and humiliating behavior, Sue* picked up the phone and called SAVE. Sue, a homemaker with two children, moved to the United States with her husband to pursue a better life and a higher-paying job. Although she earned a master’s degree in India, her husband prohibited her from working, isolating her from friends and family. She felt trapped and controlled.

“I felt like I was under house arrest. I didn’t have my freedom, I could not go anywhere, and I never smiled completely. I did not have love, respect, or confidence. I felt like I was nothing.”

Her desire to provide stability for her children and pressure from her family to make her marriage work convinced her to stay.

“My parents would say, he is the provider, taking care of the kids and you; why are you complaining?”

One day, during a particularly violent incident…

Sue called the police. The officers filed a report, but she begged them not to arrest him.

“He is still the father of my children; I don’t want to break the family. Honestly, I was terrified to leave him. I got married at 21, and he was my everything.”

Following this event, he became more abusive, leaving her concerned for her and her children’s safety. One day, a friend provided her with an advocate’s contact information, leading her to SAVE. Our advocate assisted her with shelter referrals, connected her with resources and legal support, and provided basic needs like food.

“I attended the counseling group every Thursday; being at SAVE brought me comfort. I didn’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

Sue’s journey did not end with SAVE...

Today, she has built a life away from her now ex-husband and is free from abuse. She works full-time at a leading software company, owns her home, and dedicates her free time to giving back to the community by teaching cybersecurity to girls and women.

We can’t do this without your support…

SAVE has provided a wide range of crisis intervention, shelter, housing assistance, and various supportive services for nearly 50 years. Each year, over 1,000 survivors and their families turn to us for safety and resources through our programs. This year, we urgently need your assistance. We’ve witnessed a significant increase in requests for crisis services, up by 60% compared to last year, while future funding from federal and state governments remains uncertain. We are dedicated to supporting more survivors than ever, but we cannot do this without your help.