By HEAL Staff Writer Jessica Martinez
Few people truly know what a typical day is like in a domestic violence shelter. The advocates at the Nest, Lincoln County’s first and only DV shelter, accepted the challenge of demonstrating this to fellow staff and HEAL Board Members at this year’s retreat held in January.
“We thought a skit would be a good way to show the basics of how our shelter works, as well as how busy it can be,” explained Nest Operations Director Susanne Francis. “Although each day is different and brings different circumstances and challenges, new clients and situations, the skit the staff prepared and executed was a great representation of what we do here at the Nest.”
Note: clients are referred to by their initials in an effort to uphold confidentiality. Any and all initials/people depicted below do not reflect any real people or clients, but all situations depicted are based on actual events.
“No two days are ever the same,” explained Nest Shelter Supervisor Miranda Puryear. “Survivors come to the shelter to survive and survivors leave the shelter to live independently without fear, in control of their lives, and, most importantly, looking forward to a future free of hate and pain and filled with love and freedom.”