A Better Chance
Stories
“Leaving will be hard. Staying will be hard. Choose the hard you have a better chance of living through.”
That’s the message Hannah wants every survivor of domestic violence to hear.
When Hannah left her abuser, she and her young daughter already had a new apartment lined up. She just needed a safe place to stay long enough to catch her breath and put her plan into motion.
She spent two and a half weeks at Newhouse, where she found safe shelter, three hot meals a day, and help with childcare. More importantly, she found dignity and compassion.
“We had our own room with a lock, and that made a world of difference,” Hannah shared. “I didn’t expect to feel so respected and cared for in a shelter. No one ever made me feel ashamed for being there.”
Her journey out of abuse was shaped by a painful past. Hannah grew up being physically and psychologically abused by her mother. Years later, she recognized how that experience shaped her adult relationships.
“I realized my childhood made me more comfortable in a domestic violence relationship. It felt safer than being with someone who wasn’t abusive, because I knew the patterns. I knew how to handle it.”
But having a daughter changed everything.
“If it weren’t for her, I might’ve stayed. But I knew what growing up surrounded by abuse did to me. I had to break the cycle and give her a fighting chance at a normal life.”
Since leaving, Hannah and her daughter have made incredible progress. They’ve settled into their new apartment, and for the first time, she was able to decorate her home—something she never used to do because they moved so often.
“We used to couch surf or be homeless after fights. But now we have stability. Newhouse gave me a chance to breathe, regroup my thoughts, and believe it was possible.”
To the public, Hannah wants to make something clear: domestic violence can happen to anyone.
“I always said I’d never let my child go through what I did. But it’s easier to fall into than you think. By the time he strangles you for the first time, you’re already in deep.
If someone punches a wall, they will punch you. If someone throws things, they will throw you. Don’t just learn the warning signs—watch out for your friends too. And never give up.”
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Survivor Story
