Ask Talia* what life is like these days, and she’ll likely give you a one-word answer: QUIET. “Everyone says it’s really good when your life is quiet,” she reflects. “But when you’ve had so much chaos throughout your life, it really means something.”

That sense of calm and stability didn’t come out of nowhere: Talia has worked hard to build it into the lives of her two young sons – and the daughter who’s on the way – so they don’t have to experience the cycles of homelessness and abuse that defined much of Talia’s own youth and early adulthood.

Talia is the one who made that all happen, but she’ll tell you that it only became possible three and half years ago when she decided to call Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter and Transitional Housing for domestic violence (DV) survivors.

“This is somewhere where for the first time, I felt safe,” says Talia. “Somewhere where no one was going to hurt me, and I wasn’t going to have to fight. Where I could say, ‘I need advice. I need resources.’”

Returning to a ‘sanctuary’

Every day, thousands of people in the U.S. make the courageous decision to leave a harmful relationship, often giving up a home, belongings, financial stability, and community to do so. Many survivors don’t know where to turn for support, which is why studies show that 22% to 57% of homelessness among women is the direct result of domestic violence.¹

This wasn’t the case for Talia when she decided to do whatever it took to get her boys away from an abusive partner. Instead, she knew exactly where she could turn for help – because her mother had done the same thing.

“It was really our first sanctuary away from domestic violence – that was very much ingrained in me even with how young I was,” says Talia, now 27. “I remembered that it was a safe place, one that me and my children could go to if need be. It was something I always kept in my back pocket.”

Talia was about 10 years old and receiving treatment for a heart defect at Children’s Hospital when she and her mother sought shelter at Broadview, which has served as a safe haven for thousands of DV survivors in the decades since it was founded in 1983. The two later lived for a while at Solid Ground’s Sand Point Housing, just down the road from the hospital.

More than a decade later, memories of the Broadview building still lingered in Talia’s mind when she became a young mother and experienced abusive relationships herself. She was determined, however, that her children would not experience living in a shelter, in part because she feared she might lose them.

But eventually, it became the only option. “I called and I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t do this, I need help,” she says. “They were so welcoming. They took us up to our room, and one of the workers brought us toys and a Pack ’n Play. She just looked at me and said, ‘You’re OK.’”

A place for growth & healing

At Broadview, Talia finally had the safety and support to address her young family’s growing needs. Her oldest son, who had few opportunities to interact with other children as a toddler during the COVID pandemic, arrived at Broadview with extreme behavioral challenges that included screaming fits and biting.

So Broadview staff helped Talia meet with school staff to develop an individualized education program (IEP), connected him with a pediatrician and therapist, involved him in skill-building children’s programs, and created opportunities for parents and children at Broadview to share joyful, healing moments together.²

The impact on her oldest son, Talia said, has been astonishing. “He’s an amazing kid, and he’s grown so much from where we were a couple of years ago,” she says. “He’s outgoing. He’s kind. He will talk your ear off for a solid hour about animal facts or Pokémon facts. At school, they talk about how he’s so kind and calm and just a social butterfly.”

Talia found opportunities for growth and healing for herself as well. She bonded with other mothers over their shared experiences, took financial education classes to better manage her money, met with a therapist, and learned from staff how to practice “gentle parenting with boundaries.” And perhaps most importantly, Talia learned to spot the signs of unhealthy relationships – and how to avoid them.

“Because of Broadview, I was able to know what to look for, and for the first time in my life, I’m in a healthy, happy relationship. I feel like Broadview opened up the door for us to be able to start to trust people again.”

~Talia, Mom & former Broadview resident

More than a decade later, memories of the Broadview building still lingered in Talia’s mind when she became a young mother and experienced abusive relationships herself. She was determined, however, that her children would not experience living in a shelter, in part because she feared she might lose them.

“When you grow up in DV situations or abusive situations, no one tells you how to not get back in them, or what to look out for,” she says. “At Broadview, they’re kind of like, ‘Hey, this is what you need to look out for, and this is how you set boundaries.’”

So not long after Talia moved out of Broadview and into a new apartment – with the help of Broadview staff and a Housing Choice Voucher³ – Talia met a new partner. They’re now expecting a daughter in August – and planning a wedding for next year.

“Because of Broadview, I was able to know what to look for, and for the first time in my life, I’m in a healthy, happy relationship,” she says. “I feel like Broadview opened up the door for us to be able to start to trust people again.”

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Sources & Notes

Image at top: Talia (left) hugs Amy H (right), Broadview Children’s Services Supervisor (photos in this story by Clarissa Magdich).

*Name changed for her family’s privacy and safety.

1) National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)

2) How we’re using fun and play to make lifelong investments in our youth: Read to learn more about Solid Ground children’s programs.

3) Housing Choice Vouchers