Sasha and her boyfriend traveled to Massachusetts from Texas to attend a friend’s wedding. When they got back to their hotel room that night, Sasha’s boyfriend violently assaulted her. She went to the Lynn District Court to file an abuse prevention order, and there she met Melissa Weed, HAWC’s Senior SAFEPLAN Advocate. Sasha was scared and far from home. She had nowhere to sleep that night and no money to afford a hotel room. The friends and family she normally would have turned to for support were miles away, and Sasha’s boyfriend had already cancelled her flight home in retaliation.
Melissa jumped into action. After helping Sasha fill out the appropriate paperwork for her protection order, which was granted, HAWC was able to pay for a plane ticket home and a safe, secure hotel room for her to stay in until she left. Melissa helped Sasha come up with a safety plan to have her sister pick her up at the airport and bring her straight to her home so she wouldn’t need to interact with her boyfriend and put herself in potential danger. HAWC gave Sasha a gift card so that she could purchase basic necessities until she was able to fly out. Since working with HAWC, Sasha is now safely at her sister’s house in Texas, where she feels supported and less afraid.
“I can’t thank HAWC enough for being there when I was in an unfamiliar place and in trouble. I am so happy to be home near my support system,” Sasha said.
HAWC was able to step in at a critical moment for Sasha because of your generous supporters. Thank you for making it possible for HAWC to be a lifeline for survivors like Sasha when they need it most.