As the first day of school approaches, most families are shopping for supplies and preparing for a fresh start. But for Jillian and her six-year-old son, Oliver, back-to-school looked very different.
Jillian made a list of everything Oliver would need for the school year, including new clothes. Her husband had ripped Oliver’s favorite shirt during a rage-filled outburst. She was nervous asking her husband for money would turn violent – he controlled all their accounts and rarely gave her money even for necessities. After enduring months of escalating emotional and physical abuse, Jillian feared for her life and her son’s safety, so she didn’t ask.
The next morning, Jillian walked Oliver to his first day of class in his favorite shirt she had hastily sewn repairs in the night before. Jillian noticed Madison, a CASA Pinellas “Peacemaker” wearing a bright purple CASA name tag. Curious, Jillian asked Oliver’s teacher who the Peacemakers were. The teacher explained they teach Anti-Violence and Healthy Relationships curriculum.
That was the first time Jillian heard of CASA. In the parking lot, she searched for CASA Pinellas on her phone. She saved the 24/7 hotline number under a girlfriend’s name so her husband would not be suspicious. A call to an unknown number would surely lead to anger and perhaps even violence.
That night, her husband punched a hole in the wall inches from where Oliver was doing his homework. Terrified, once her husband went to bed, Jillian called CASA’s hotline detailing his abuse and his threat to kill her and Oliver. CASA advocates assessed the lethality of her situation and asked Jillian if they could leave immediately.
In the middle of the night, with just the clothes on their backs, Jillian and Oliver fled to CASA Pinellas’ Emergency Shelter. The next morning, Jillian met with an advocate at the Family Justice Center where co-located partners provide emotional and practical support. Jillian created a plan with Pinellas County Schools for Oliver, CASA’s team of Injunction for Protection attorneys helped her file for a restraining order, and she met with advocates to discuss options for safe housing.
