Why is emergency assiSTANCE crucial?

Sometimes, Leaving Is Only the First Step.
For someone living with domestic violence or human trafficking, leaving a dangerous situation takes tremendous courage. But getting out is not always as simple as walking out the door.
For many victims, wanting to leave is not enough. They need the resources to do it safely.
The Ventura County Family Justice Center Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Program provides immediate, practical support to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual and financial abuse, child abuse, and human trafficking as they work to escape violence and rebuild their lives.

Sometimes, the Smallest Things Make Leaving Possible
A survivor may have nowhere safe to stay. No money for gas. No working cellphone. No food for her children. No reliable transportation. No identification. No way to pay an unexpected expense that stands between her and safety.
These basic needs can become major barriers to safety.
That’s why the Ventura County Family Justice Center Foundation provides emergency assistance to victims and survivors when they need it most.

​​Financial Insecurity Can Keep Survivors Trapped
Financial abuse is a common and devastating component of domestic violence. 
Abusers may control access to money, prevent a partner from working, damage credit, accumulate debt in the survivor’s name, or otherwise make it difficult to become financially independent. Survivors frequently identify concerns about providing for themselves and their children as a significant reason for staying with—or returning to—an abusive partner. National Network to End Domestic Violence found that almost 75% of domestic violence survivors report staying in or returning to an abusive relationship longer than desired due to financial concerns and economic insecurity.
Housing and transportation are also critical. Housing insecurity can make leaving an abusive relationship even more dangerous, while lack of reliable t​transportation can prevent survivors from reaching shelters, jobs, medical care, schools, and other essential services.
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​Emergency assistance helps remove these immediate barriers and gives survivors more choices.

​The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports that 99% of domestic violence survivors experience economic abuse.

What emergency assistance provides

​Through the Emergency Assistance Program, eligible clients may receive assistance with essential needs such as:

❤ Emergency food & clothing
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❤ Diapers, wipes, and infant formula
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❤ Transportation and/or car repairs
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❤ Hygiene supplies

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❤ Access to shelters &/or emergency hotel stays
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​❤ Replacement cellphones that can't be tracked by abusers
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❤ Financial support for legal filing fees, replacement identification documents, & other urgent needs identified by victim advocates 

The impact of your supPort

Since 2019, the Ventura County Family Justice Center Foundation has helped support services for more than 16,000 victims and survivors of crime through the Ventura County Family Justice Center. The Emergency Assistance Program currently reaches approximately 300 Family Justice Center clients each year.
For a survivor, emergency assistance can mean:

• A safe night away from an abuser.
• A repaired car that makes work and school possible.
• A cellphone that allows her to stay connected to advocates and emergency services.
• Food on the table while she begins rebuilding her life.
• A legal document needed to move forward.​

These are more than basic necessities. They are building blocks of safety, stability, and independence.

Your Gift Can Help Someone Leave Safely
When a survivor is facing violence, there may be only a small window of opportunity to get to safety. Your donation can help ensure that when that moment comes, lack of money or basic necessities does not stand in the way.
Your generosity can help a survivor take the next step—from crisis to safety, from uncertainty to stability, and ultimately toward a life free from violence.

Give Today. Help Make Safety Possible.
Your donation to the Ventura County Family Justice Center Foundation provides critical resources when survivors need them most.
Together, we can help victims and survivors leave dangerous situations, protect their children, rebuild their independence, and move forward with confidence knowing their community is there for them.

make a difference today

What Your Gift Can Make Possible
$100
Can help with immediate transportation, food, hygiene items, or other basic needs that support a survivor's safety plan.
$250
Can help address a larger emergency expense that could otherwise prevent a survivor from moving forward.
$500
Can help provide critical emergency assistance to a survivor working toward safety, stability, and independence.
Every gift matters. Your donation gives victim advocates another tool to help a survivor overcome the practical barriers standing between her and a safer future.
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A Survivor's Path to Safety
Consider a mother who makes the courageous decision to leave an abusive partner with her children.
She has a safety plan. She has connected with a victim advocate. She is ready to go.
But her car needs repairs. Her children need safe car seats. She has very little money and nowhere secure to stay.
This is where emergency assistance can make a life-changing difference.
By helping address these immediate needs, the Foundation can help transform a plan for safety into a realistic path forward.
The goal isn't simply to help someone survive a crisis.
It's to help create the conditions for a survivor to begin rebuilding a life free from violence.

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