Help for abuse just a phone call away
By Tiffany Davis, south news editor

     A woman in an abusive home faces a 75 percent chance of being killed, according to a volunteer coordinator at a local women’s shelter.
     If a woman returns home, Priscilla Oglevie of the Arlington Women’s Shelter said, she takes a life-threatening risk for herself and for her children. However, battered women can find help.
     The Women’s Shelter, a non-profit organization, was funded in 1978 by volunteers from the First Baptist Church in Arlington. The shelter’s mission is to reduce family violence through services that reach out to victims of abuse.
     "The members of the church saw a need to educate the community and support non-abusive, self-reliant families by providing safety, counseling, legal advice and awareness," Oglevie said.
     To receive assistance from the shelter, one should first call its 24-hour hotline 817-460-5566.
     Trained staff members aid families. The volunteer on the phone will visit with the caller and assess the situation, to determine if it is an emergency.
     The staff will advise the caller to contact the police, and the police will transport the victim and her children to the shelter.
     Once a woman has entered the shelter, she will be assigned a case manager and her children will be assigned a child advocate. Both the case manager and advocate will work solo and jointly with the family members to help them deal with the emotional and environmental changes that they are experiencing in their lives.
     "The children will be enrolled in school immediately upon arrival. Although there will be help with homework and leisure activities provided, the mother is still responsible for her children," Oglevie said.
     The shelter provides individual and group counseling with a qualified counselor. It also offers a youth peace program, teaching concepts of non-violent relationships.
     The goal of the shelter is to help women find a safe place to stay beyond the shelter because leaving an abusive home can be dangerous.
     The shelter will open a resale shop in mid October and needs volunteers to work an hour or two a day in the shop or on the hotline.
     To volunteer, contact Oglevie at 817-548-0987.