Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back to Spill the Tea Unfiltered.
With us today we have Ashley with Alliance for Hope International. Hi, Ashley.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Hi. Thanks for having me today.
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Yes, thank you for being on.
Let's just start with what is alliance for Hope International?
[00:00:16] Speaker B: I think that's a great place to start.
We are quite, we're a small team, but a large organization is probably the best way to put it. We are an organization that starts, started in San Diego and that's where we're currently based. Although our team works all over the country now and actually one in Mexico. Even so we have a really great team that's spread out all over and alliance for Hope was founded under the guidance of Casey Gwynn and Gail Strack, who are founders and they worked in San Diego and one thing led to another different scenarios where they were supporting survivors through their work as attorneys and prosecutors. And they kind of determined that the experience for survivors was a lot right. It was you go one place, then another place and then they don't know. You have to tell your story every single which way. And so they, they felt what they ended up calling the Family Justice Center. The first one was in San Diego and there are multiple Family Justice Centers in San Diego today. And it was essentially under one roof you had someone that, it's often called a navigator. So one person that you tell your story to does the intake. And that navigator then can help you connect to law enforcement if you want. You don't have to, you know, law enforcement is on site, but they don't need to be involved if you don't want them to be.
Social services, if you have a pet, they can help you figure out what to do with that. They can help you find shelter, they can help you stay in your home, they can medical exams, legal. So there's sometimes even a virtual courtroom on site. So essentially someone just goes to one place and that's why many of them are called one Safe Place.
And they can get all the services that they need. So that's the, the Family justice center part of alliance for Hope. But the mission kept growing, expanded beyond just what was initially called the Family Justice Center Alliance. Now that's a program of alliance for Hope to include Camp Hope America, which is our, our program that supports the children affected by domestic violence. That's amazing. Yeah. Not only through summer camp, but also through year round mentoring. So they are just have, you know, everything that we do, we're a HOPE centered organization. So we focus in on, on what we find hope as, which is this ability to you know, you have the ability to change your future.
It's not something that just happens to you. You can make a plan, you can make a pathway forward and you can create a better future for yourself. And so we instill that in children through, like I said, the week long camps in the summer, but also Pathways events throughout the year.
We also have Voices Committee. So our survivors advocacy network called Voices ess, we work with the survivors that go through family justice centers to not only teach them how to be advocates in their community, but also kind of learn from them. Right. So all the work that we do is very survivor focused and informed.
And then we also have our three more programs. So almost done.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: I love this.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Yeah, no, we want to know about it all.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: The next one I'll talk about is the training institute on strangulation prevention.
Our founders, Gail and Casey essentially recognized very early that they were getting it wrong on strangulation and people were dying.
You know, research shows that if someone is strangled, they're 750% more likely to be murdered by their partner. So it's a huge issue. It's very under recognized, under kind of under understood.
And it was something that we now developed a training institute. So we go all over the country, all over the world and train medical professionals, legal professionals, advocates, anyone that's going to work directly with the survivor on what to strangulation really mean. So what are, why is it so dangerous? What are all the anatomical things that you need to understand, what's the best practices and then also the legal side of things, what laws are out there recently, gosh, I live in Ohio and we were unfortunately the last state to pass regulation legislation, but they were a big part in getting that done. And so it's really important that people understand the importance of why, why if you were strangled, that's kind of what we call the last warning shot. So that's the Institute on Strain Prevention.
And then out of that was the, the justice project also grew out of that. And so being attorneys, Casey and Gail were often contacted from families of people who had passed away.
But their deaths were ruled either a suicide or accident or a drug overdose.
But the, the investigation likely jumped to that conclusion without a full investigation. Right. So they've worked with, with families and what they're calling hidden homicides, where they determine these 10 suspicious death factors. So I don't know all of them offhand, but some of them are essentially this. The, you know, the, the spouse or the partner was the last person to see them alive. There's a history of domestic violence. There was a history of strangulation. All of these things that are in place and they pass leg in California where if any of those are in place, then an investigation must be done. Right? They can't just rule to suicide on the spot. They need to look into it further. And that's what we found was not happening. And unfortunately we would get emails every week from people who have had that experience and their loved ones, you know, was not justice was not sought for them because it was ruled a suicide. When it's, it's, you know, a lot of the evidence points to the fact that their partner was the, you know, actually murdered them. So that's something that we're working on. And then I'll end with the program that you see the logo off to my right. I guess if you're listening to this, you don't see that, but domesticshelters.org that is the program. I'm the national director of domesticshelters.org and we do a lot of things. We're, we're kind of that online hub for people who are experiencing domestic violence or have questions about domestic violence. Want to support, you know, people who are experiencing domestic violence, including this Professionals. We work a lot with professionals to help provide free webinars and trainings and articles and tools and resources.
And we were built off of the idea that there was at one point, back in the early 2010s, there was really no one place you could go online and find what information or what organization was nearest to you to get help for domestic violence. And so we built a digital online searchable database that's available on your phone, on your computer, and also created a vast library of content. Because our founders had a really strong understanding of content marketing, they knew they couldn't just build the database, leave it there and go. They had to create content. And that actually grew into what is our latest adventure, which is Hope Chat. So we took all of that information from over 12 years of expert vetted content and expert ridden content and created a chatbot that has allowed people to ask questions in a very conversational human way, express long paragraphs of text, texts, or a couple sentences about what they're experiencing. They get answers, they get kind of that clarity of mind of what's happening, get some vocabulary to put around it, and then ultimately they're kind of shown what resources are near them in their area so that they can reach out for help when and if they're ready. So that's domestic shelters, that org, that's alliance for Hope. We do so much. Yeah. And we do so much with a really, really great team of folks who just care deeply about this issue.
[00:08:06] Speaker C: That is truly amazing.
[00:08:08] Speaker A: It is, it is.
You guys are so. You're international, so you're worldwide. Do you have like offices like in each continent? Like, how does that work? Are there.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: So our work is expanding mostly. We have a lot of family just centers in Mexico, but we still have our home base here in the US Camp Hope recently expanded to Northern Ireland. Oh, nice.
Really great movement that's starting in Canada. So currently we're still our US Based team, but once people kind of learn about family justice centers. And one thing I didn't mention, which is kind of that the aha moment for why or the data point that was showing Casey and Gail and everyone involved that it was working was in.
I don't know the exact numbers, but in San Diego county, before they started the Family Justice Center, I believe they had 16 homicides a year. And after five years, I could be wrong, but it's still a staggering difference. It was, you know, in very high number down to one which nobody wants any homicides. All right. But that difference was because the people who came into the Family justice center and the services they were receiving.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:09:16] Speaker C: That is awesome.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: Because then they're learning what they can do to get away. Right. So they're not. They're getting out of the situation that could have killed them.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: They're getting wraparound services, they're getting support.
They're given a chance to feel safe so they can make the decisions that are going to, you know, lead to the best outcomes.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's amazing. And it's awesome work that you guys have grown that much and helped that many survivors.
What? It was like millions, right? Like, it was all. It was on your website.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: Yeah. So domesticshelters.org has definitely grown. I mean, from one on day one, right. To now. We see we're approaching 3 million a year. This year, I think is what we're hoping to hit. So, yeah, it's definitely growing. We know that.
You know, we started this back. I don't think smartphones are really all that common back in 2014, but nowadays the majority of people don't pick up the phone and make a phone call. Right. They're going online. They want to have all the answers. They want to kind of research things and then make a decision. And that's really what domestic shelters allows us to do. And that's why it's growing so Much, because that's kind of the way the trend of how people are getting information.
[00:10:27] Speaker C: I also like that, like, when you're browsing on the website on a lot of the domestic violence pages, that they have the option to press that button that automatically closes everything out and hides it, like, for the safety.
[00:10:37] Speaker A: Yeah, that's smart.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Yeah. And we make sure that. That you can't hit back. So you hit exit and you're gone. Like, it's in your browser history. Like, we, you know, there are certain things that we try to educate survivors on about when they're using the Internet to find help. But when they are on our site, if they hit exit or if they're on Hope Chat and they hit exit, it goes to the Weather channel, you know, weather.com and no one can go back.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:11:00] Speaker C: That's amazing. Yeah.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:02] Speaker A: I think that's. I mean, it's great that some. That you guys actually thought of that or that that's a known thing for domestic violence, like organizations online.
You had mentioned people like that. You know, people can call in that want to, like, help.
What is something that you wish people would understand about survivors leaving abusive relationships so much?
[00:11:32] Speaker B: The first thing that comes to mind is that even if they go back, that they get. There's so much judgment placed on a survivor if they go back. But what they are doing is they're the only ones that know what's the most safe thing for them to do in that moment. Right. They understand. They can read the room. They can tell the temperature. They understand. So it's just. I think people need to understand that leaving is a process. It's not an event. It's. It's certainly, you know, a lot of steps that need to happen and that I would hope that people would understand that and be able to support people and. And not give up, because it's. It takes a lot, you know, a lot of. A lot of courage. A lot of really scary decisions that you have to make.
And.
Yeah, I just. I would hope that people would understand that. It's. It's way more complicated and it's. It's just. It's the most dangerous time for survivors. I mean, we hear time and time again about stories of people who. Who are leaving that unfortunately, you know, it ends. It ends in a homicide.
[00:12:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
Do you have the statistics for that, like, for, like, men versus women?
[00:12:41] Speaker B: Well, I mean, we always say it's, you know, one in three. One in four women experience a domestic violence, and like one in seven, one in nine, depending on which stats you look at, but, you know, it's certainly definitely more prevalent with, you know, female survivors and male abusers.
You know, of course we want to support all, you know, all people who have experienced domestic violence, but, yeah, a lot of our. Our content is geared towards that kind of typical, more likely scenario.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, that's, like, just one thing that we talk about on our podcast, because obviously we are a, like, women podcast, so we talk a lot to people and we get a lot of hate online saying, like, well, men are just as abused. And I'm like, I don't think that's true. And then the biggest thing comes up that. That we get is, well, they're just not reporting it. And I'm like, well, while that may be true, homicides are reported.
[00:13:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: So that is statistically a fact that, you know, men kill women more than women kill men.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'll add to that in our work in the hidden homicides realm, we really think that the homicide rates of women being killed by their partners is. Is not representative of the actual. Actuality of the situation. Right.
I have. I've had to ask Casey, like, several times. Are you sure?
Like, confirm with me. Am I hearing this right? He said he thinks that it's like, double, you know, the number of homicides when you really look at it and. And start to uncover these homicides that were. Were ruled a suicide. And so.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that's what I was gonna ask. Are they ruled suicide?
[00:14:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, It's. It's quite.
It's quite scary. You know, I can't think of the right word for it, but it's just. It's hard to. Hard to process that that's happening.
[00:14:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that's.
That's what's scary is, like, when. When you have people that'll be like, well, men are too, and yes, absolutely, they are abused. But if women are being. Also being under, you know, like, reported.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:44] Speaker A: It's like, how bad is it actually? Like, is for women. That's terrifying.
[00:14:49] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, there's the shame involved in it. Right. There's. There's safety, there's. There's gaslighting. There's.
There's all sorts of factors that go into people not reporting it. I. I mean, I. I've been in this field for, like I said, around 10 years. And so, you know, just have conversations with random strangers or even people that you thought you knew pretty well, and they're kind of explaining a situation. And, you know, you.
You realize that they experienced abuse and they're still not using that language. Right. It's 10 years, 15, 20 years in the past, and they're still not using that language because they've never registered that that's the case. So, you know, they have probably. It's probably because they were able to kind of separate themselves from that abusive partner. But, yeah, it's. It's something that people don't report often and sometimes don't even realize that happened to them.
[00:15:38] Speaker C: So I'm sure that you've heard a thousand stories over the last 10 years. What are some major red flags that you would want to warn girls about when they're first entering relationships?
[00:15:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think the biggest one to me is if it feels like it's just moving so fast, right? Like, they say, I love you on the second date, and all of this. It's that love bombing.
The reason I say that one is because I think it's so.
It's so easy to get the. Blindsided by it, where you don't even. It kind of catches you off your feet because it feels like what every romantic comedy we've ever watched, it tells us that love is.
And that is. It's not the case. What that is is the. The person is. Is love bombing you, which is a form of kind of grooming, getting you in a space where then they can flip that switch and start to abuse you. Or maybe it's still, you know, a small change over time, but, yeah, I think anytime that someone is just so quick, they want to move in together or they want to meet your parents, they want to do all these things really quickly. You know, trust your gut on that one.
[00:16:46] Speaker A: And where were you four years ago, five years ago now? You know, I. I could have used this.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: I needed this from the very beginning
[00:16:55] Speaker B: of my dating history.
[00:16:57] Speaker A: My ex. I don't know if you know my stories that are our story at all, but my ex, he. And the reason we started this podcast is he love bomb me immediately. He moved in within a month.
He was meeting my parents within a month. It was. He proposed within four months. Like, it was. He got me where he wanted me, and then mine.
I had emotional. I didn't have physical abuse. I had emotional and financial.
But it was a bad financial situation. So, yeah, the love bombing, man, it's. It's rough. But I'm glad to hear a professional say that, because I feel like when we say it, it's like, oh, these girls are just whatever. They're not trained or anything. It's like, well, no, but we go to Therapy, and we've heard a lot now you're.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: No, your experience is, it's far too common. And it's, your perspective is so helpful because you've experienced that, right? Like, because you can, you can kind of say, well, you know, you could talk to someone who's experiencing it right now and kind of help them work through the same thought process as you and come to the same conclusion that like, no, this is not good. Right. So I think you guys need to keep, yeah. Keep doing what you're doing and talking about that. And, and I'll also point out I noticed you doing something and minimizing your experience and saying, but it wasn't physical, but oh my God. I mean, I think that that's just, I'm just going to call attention to it because I think so many people do that because they think that in order to qualify as domestic violence or to qualify to be a survivor or to get services, you have to have been put in the hospital. And, you know, that's not the case. I mean, most, most survivors will say that the emotional abuse was far more long term damaging than the physical abuse. Like, you know, certainly physical abuse is horrific, but at the end of the day is that emotional scarring that stays with you. And financial abuse, I mean, that is, that lasts. I mean, I can imagine you're still dealing with all of that.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: So $50,000 in debt that I'm having to deal with. So it's. Yeah, so. So I guess, because I didn't even realize that because in my mind, domestic violence is physical.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:59] Speaker A: So it is more than just being physical.
[00:19:01] Speaker B: 100%, yes. Domestic violence. A lot of people, you'll hear the term coercive control. Right. So that's a kind of form of domestic violence that really, it gives, it gives definition to the kinds of domestic violence that a lot of people will kind of brush off and just say, oh, he's just a, you know, bad partner, he's a bad person. Or, you know, it was a toxic relationship, all these things. But coercive control kind of gives light to probably could, could align with what you were experiencing in terms of, you know, the emotional abuse. I mean, it's, it's the gaslighting, it's the belittling, it's the, you know, all the things that, you know, people's, the verbal abuse, all the things that kind of come up that fall short of, you know, a hand, you know, actually laying laying a hand on you. So it very much is valid. And I think the law scene still Needs to catch up.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: It's.
[00:19:52] Speaker B: It's something the UK that they've really started to pursue coercive control legislation. And there are a handful of states here in the US that have legislation around coercive control. But I know that it's very much becoming more known.
But again, you know, the court system is, is far from perfect when it comes to supporting survivors.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: That was actually one of my questions was, what changes would you like to see in the legal system or with community support?
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Okay, how much time do we have now?
I.
I'm going to focus on one area because it just boils my blood anytime that I am reminded that I'm not like that. I heard it right. Like, I heard them right. It's the family court system. So it is unbelievable the amount of corruption and I'll say corruption. I mean, I'm trying to be, like, neutral here.
The idea that a woman can be abused, have children, try to get a divorce, it's delayed, delayed, delayed. All this litigation, all this thing which is a form of abuse, litigating abuse, litigation, abuse, excuse me.
And then they can.
They're better off if a woman will just not say anything about the abuse when it comes to child custody. Because the moment that abuse is being kind of claimed or kind of documented and shared, hey, like, the child doesn't want to go to. I'm going to say, you know, mother, father, because that's the more common scenario. The child doesn't want to go to the father because he sexually abused her for 10, for five years, or whatever it is.
And the judge says, no, that's not true. You're alienating them from the father. And that is. There's this debunked theory called parental alienation, and it's used over and over again in the courts to essentially take the protective parent, which is typically the mother. But, you know, it again, can be mothers and fathers or, you know, the rules can be switched. But typically the mother, the one that gets them to school, gets them to their doctor's appointments, is the safe person they come to when they get injured. All the, you know, that protective and like, steady presence in their life.
And essentially they lose custody to the person who was sexually abusing them or physically abusing them or verbally abusing them, what have you. And it's. I have no. You would think that there's more to this story. I'd be like, this is why. There's no reason. It's. It's simply because the system is built. And sometimes these, these kids are being sent to these reunification camps. So essentially they're being sent to a camp where a.
The father and the child are forced to rebound and to rebuild their bonding. And they have to, essentially they're broken down into just like saying, yes, I, you know, I. This never happened or all these things until they finally, you know, break and, and then, you know, they go back and live with the father and the mother still loses custody. It just, it just blows my mind. And I'm thankful that in this, this work that I've met so many amazing people who are aware of this issue and are fighting like hell. Excuse me for my language, but to make changes in this space because it is a lot of it's profit driven because, you know, divorce is expensive. But why, why is it expensive when there's children involved? They can milk you for everything you got because at the end of the day, what wouldn't you give for your children?
So, okay, get off my soapbox here. You know, it's a lot to share, but that in itself is just it. I see it as the, the hardest thing to stomach in the legal process around domestic violence.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: Yeah, that's awful. We had a similar story on our podcast last summer where she essentially was going through that exact thing and to the point that she didn't take her kids to him because she was like, no, like, my kid's being abused. I'm not taking it. And then the judge held her in contempt and sent her to jail for sure. Yes, exactly.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: Women are being jailed. We have articles on domestic Children center. If people want to read more stories about this happening.
You know, one woman, we literally interviewed her from hiding in another country. I think she was somewhere in South America because she had no other choice but to kidnap her son. You know, and it's like, it's unbelievable that being an abusive. Because there's this, this perception that, well, if he's abusing the, the mom, it doesn't mean he's abusing the children. Right, right.
[00:24:25] Speaker A: They say that all the time. And I'm like, lies.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: But yet research time and time again, if you're familiar with the idea of adverse childhood experiences, one of, you know, this is the idea that you don't have to be physically, mentally, any kind of a. Directly, you know, what we would consider to be directly abused as a child. Just being in the room, being in the house, just, just having a mother who is experiencing abuse is a trauma experience in itself. And so why are we not holding the abusers accountable for being the ones that are being abusive? Right. Instead we are punishing the parents who are trying to protect the other child from, you know, a situation that will have extreme long term effects on their health, as has been proved by the CDC through the ACEs study.
[00:25:11] Speaker A: Which is crazy to me because then I feel like we're still in this situation where again, it can go either way, but the majority is going one direction. So. So it amazes me that there's still people out there like, oh, well, she, they're just keeping him from their father. I'm like, no, there's more to this story that you're probably not seeing.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Oh, exactly. It's. Yeah, it's, it's just, it's super frustrating. And you're right, that's, that is the common narrative that they're vindictive, they're mad at this, they're just trying to get back at him for this.
Why, why would a mother want to keep their children from their father? That's not good. Like, I think that the, the explanation that people give is like, it's, it's so much better to have two parents than to have, you know, one, just one parent, which in a sense is good. Unless that one, you know, other parent is abusing, abusive and has traumatized them. Right. In which case it is actually not better to have that parent in that person's life. It's better to have just one parent that is stable and protective and loving and you know, all of the things.
[00:26:10] Speaker A: So if somebody needs to get in touch with you guys, they go online, call in there or call the number that you guys have, I guess online,
[00:26:18] Speaker B: they have a number, operate a phone number, are solely online.
We go. If you want to access any of the free resources on our website, they are all free.
You go to domestic shelters.org and there you'll find a searchable database so you can find what location as near as to you. So if you are wanting to ask for help or just talk about your situation to kind of figure out is this a good pathway for me. You don't have to go to a shelter ever to get help and you don't have to be ready to go to a shelter to get help. You just, you pick up the phone and you call that organization. So there are organizations, there's over 2,800 throughout the US and Canada. So I know that there's one close by that's ready to help.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: That's amazing.
Going back to like things that people can do, like what are some harmful things people unintentionally say?
[00:27:15] Speaker B: Unintentionally things People can do are to give up on. On a friend or family member that's experiencing abuse.
That's the last thing they need. They have.
They've been isolated by their partner. They've been told that they aren't worthy of anyone else's love. You know, no one will love you but me, so you got to stick with me. So the worst thing people can do is to kind of get frustrated and mad and angry. And I understand why. I can understand completely. If someone keeps doing something that feels completely wrong and against what you, you know, you think is right and keeps going back into a dangerous situation, it can be hard. But just. Just please hold on. Stay with them. Keep however you can. Tell them that you care and you're ready to help whenever they're ready to get it.
[00:27:56] Speaker A: Awesome.
I guess going off that, like, is there. Like, is there other than being there for them, what's another way friends and family can support? Would it just be like showing them resources?
[00:28:09] Speaker B: Like, if you think they're ready for it? If you think. Because it, you know, it could also put them off and kind of make them separate from you. Right. Yeah, but really, it's just.
It really is just keeping. Keeping the door, the channels of communication open and, you know, making. Helping them build up their confidence so that they realize that they're better than this because they're constantly being beat down. But, yeah, I mean, it cannot, you know, if the timing is right and you feel like it's right, it cannot hurt to send them to domesticshelters.org or if you know where your local program is to give them that phone number.
You know, it's. There's. There's so many people that want to help.
[00:28:48] Speaker A: Can you tell us a little bit in the time we have left about the camp for kids? Because I think that's really important because a lot of kids. I myself, was sexually abused as a child. I know. It's. How many. What's the statistic right now with, like, kids being abused?
[00:29:00] Speaker B: And it's insane. I don't. I don't know offhand, but it's unbelievable.
[00:29:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it's high.
[00:29:07] Speaker B: Yeah. And so what? Yeah, essentially it's that idea that if you. You know, for years we thought if you took care of the mother, the kids will be fine, but that's not the case. Kids need support. They need.
They need, you know, hope kind of as I defined it earlier, which is that idea. I think in Camp Hope, we say it's believing in yourself, believing in your. Believing in others, believing in yourself. And believing in your dreams. So, you know, we kind of use that basic definition so people understand or the kids kind of get start to think about a future that doesn't involve violence, that involves them reaching their dreams and that, you know, giving them a good influence of counselors and other adults that they can emulate. We do this thing called Hope Heroes every year. They create a booklet with stories of people who experienced abuse as a child and went on to do amazing things.
So we try to inspire the children. But also we have another thing we say which is called challenge by choice. So it is a traditional summer camp. So it's high ropes, it's archery, it's canoeing, it's all the things and it gives them an opportunity to try things, you know, set a goal, do do hard things and realize that they are more capable than they think they are. That's awesome.
I had the chance to go last summer to a camp in Florida and it was just. Oh, my heart was so full.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: They're everywhere, these camps?
[00:30:23] Speaker B: Yeah, they're all over the country. You can go to camp. I would also encourage everyone to check out allianceforhope.org and you'll see all of our programs listed there, including Camp Hope America, where you can see where all the camps are located. You can learn about how to start a camp in your area.
Same with family justice centers. You can learn more about how to kind of start that movement in your community.
[00:30:43] Speaker A: That's amazing.
As far as donations go, like we hear all the time shelters need like tampons or diapers or other things. Like, is it what, what are the like high biggest things that you think shelters need? And then with like your situation, is it just like financially, is that the biggest benefit?
[00:31:02] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So obviously, yeah, we're always pushing people to support the shelters in their local community. We hope. Chad, if you go on there and just ask, where can I donate near me and give your zip code, she'll tell you a list of organizations that you can donate directly. We always encourage you to check their website because usually they'll have a list of donations that they really need and kind of instructions because there are. It's a little complicated having, you know, people can't just come drop off at a confidential location, but encourage that as well. But yeah, when it comes to supporting our work to help us reach even more survivors to help us continue to do this work. Yeah, financial donations are always appreciated and you can do that on allianceforhope.com or domestic shelters.org it really just helps us to, to continue to do this work every, like I said, every year we reach about 3 million people. And that only grows because we're able to through support from.
From thankful. From gracious donors.
[00:31:58] Speaker A: Yeah, because you guys are a nonprofit, right?
[00:32:00] Speaker B: We are 100. Yes. We are a non profit organization, which is great.
[00:32:06] Speaker A: And so we'll definitely link you like in our episode for you guys and make sure that everybody knows like where they can go donate and everything. And then we'll probably, if it's okay with you guys, do some of our like social media posts and put like your what you guys have on the website, like copy some of that, put it in there and like tag you guys and everything.
[00:32:30] Speaker B: That would be great. Yeah, we're very active on social media. Perfect. Pretty large audience on Facebook. But also. Yeah, for Facebook, for domesticshelters.org but all of our programs are represented.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: Perfect. We will make sure we go follow all those and push you guys out to other people. But thank you so much, Ashley for coming on and talking to us about alliance for Hope international and domestic shelters.org we really appreciate it. And if anybody has any questions, please reach out to alliance for Hope and they will get you where you need to go.
[00:33:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to talk about the work that we're doing and have this great conversation.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Yes. Thank you. This episode is proudly brought to you by the law firm Ryan and Rouse. If you or a loved one have been injured or need legal help for changing family circumstances, contact the personal injury and family law attorneys at Ryan and rouse today at 256-801-1000 or visit them online at www.alabamalaw.com. when your future is on the line, don't go at it alone.
