"Six months into being a newlywed and new to Arizona, I found myself in a situation I never expected to be in. My husband and I had gotten into an intense domestic dispute with my husband becoming extremely abusive to me, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Now, this was only the second time in our relationship that the abuse became physical, however the emotional and mental abuse was something that was not a new thing for him. I was able to get out of the house that night and call a friend who lived in Surprise for a safe place to sleep. I knew I needed to take some time away from him to gather my thoughts and determine my next steps. My mother had been in a previous marriage where her husband had been abusive towards her, and growing up she always taught me my value and worth, making sure I fully understood that abuse is not ok, and to not allow for it to continue. However, being over 2,000 miles away from almost everyone I knew, I found myself in a difficult situation and didn’t really have many places to turn to for help. The friend’s home where I stayed that first night was unfortunately not a place that I could continue to stay at during this time, as I didn’t have a car of my own, and my workplace was located in Scottsdale. I was blessed enough to be taken in by a coworker for about four months while I got on my feet, obtained a vehicle, and figured out my living situation. I was lucky. Had it not been for that coworker, I’m not sure if I would have been able to actually get out of my situation. However, had there been a BFA Hope Center for women as an option for me, I would have had an opportunity for safe, comfortable housing as well as additional resources to help me. I am now involved with the organization to insure that women who may find themselves in similar situations in the future will have a safe haven and resources to begin a positive and independent journey of their own."