When Vanessa* first came to WIT, she was struggling with her alcohol addiction and had recently lost custody of her daughter.
Over the next few years, Vanessa began therapeutic services and individual counseling at WIT, attending peer support groups such as Sister Circle and Safe & Sober. When WIT launched the “Moving Ahead Through Financial Empowerment” workshop series in 2019, she attended those as well, even participating in the series’ matched savings program.
“I had a whole unhealthy relationship with money,” she said. “When I attended [the financial empowerment workshops], it gave me a good understanding of credit and savings.
“I’ve become obsessed – in a good way! – with something positive. I do not play games with my credit. I’m also obsessed with savings. I work for this – guess who I’m going to pay first? Me! That’s my savings.”
Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases. It is one of the most commonly cited reasons that keep survivors trapped in an abusive relationship.
Through “Moving Ahead Through Financial Empowerment,” survivors learned about the dynamics of financial abuse, how to regain control and confidence of their finances, and the fundamentals of budgeting, credit, and savings in a trauma-informed, empowerment-based setting.
"I won’t be in a position where I have to stay with my [current] husband because of financial relations – never again," said Vanessa. "That was a reason I stayed in abusive relationships – because I didn’t have a financial way out.”
Thanks to support from her counselor and peer support groups at WIT, Vanessa eventually regained custody of her daughter, got married to her current husband, and has recently become a first-time homeowner! She closed on her first house in spring 2023.
“All of this was through the guidance and through that cheering on,” said Vanessa. “When you when you have someone that’s in your corner and that’s cheering you on? The things you can accomplish, having someone right there every step of the way?
“That despite the bumps and setbacks, they’re still right there holding you back up and pushing you forward and letting you know that everything is OK. Even when you’re ready to attack yourself for a mistake, you’ve got that one person telling you Be easy on you, don’t be so hard on you.