Survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence often turn to HAVEN in Pontiac.
It’s the county’s only 24-hour emergency shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their children.
When Local 4 started its Go 4 It: Live Without Fear campaign for HAVEN, we had no idea how the next 12 hours would be life-changing for so many. We asked Local 4 viewers to drop off basic needs items, donate or hit HAVEN’s Amazon wish list and we could not believe how many showed up to help out the shelter.
More than $16,000 were raised and because of you, we filled their storage garage with items that are desperately needed for a victim when they leave their abuser. They’re usually on their own, many times on the run, and simply need help.
Deodge Hill is a mom of four, a certified physician’s assistant and a successful woman from Belleville who was almost killed after she got back into the dating world.
Hill never thought she would be a victim, but after three months with a man who came off as nice and inviting, the red flags began to show.
Hill was concerned and told her coworkers that if anything happened to her, they should suspect her boyfriend -- but she felt like she couldn’t leave. He said he would kill her if she left him and Hill said she didn’t want to put herself or her children in danger.
But eventually, her fears became reality. Under the impression she was cheating on him, he kidnapped her and took her to a place where he had a gun. She knew he was going to kill her.
She prayed and prayed.
“I said, ‘I love you, and I care about you.’ I said, ‘You just got to stop doing this to me. I won’t tell anybody, but you’ve got to get help,’” Hill recalled. “And whatever that energy force was in a car, it left, and he looked at me, and he said, ‘I’m so sorry. Look at your face. Oh, man, I think I overreacted.’”
That’s when she decided to take her children to Chicago. She left everything behind.
“I didn’t have underwear, I didn’t have a toothbrush. I didn’t have a brush to comb my hair,” Hill said.
That’s why she is sharing her story to support HAVEN, which offers programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The nonprofit provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and educational programs to nearly 30,000 people each year, helping people across Metro Detroit. They help with basic needs -- like all the supplies Local 4 viewers donated at the event -- and those products can be a life changer for mothers like Deodge Hill.
Read: Mom’s escape from violent partner fuels support for HAVEN
“When people leave their abuser, they leave with nothing,” said Patricia Hoskins, with HAVEN. “Having these donations -- the basic needs, shampoo, conditioner, good body wash -- those are things we take for granted every day, but those are luxuries, and somebody who’s going through that’s just so vital to them -- diapers, bedding, all of these things that we’re able to provide through your donations.”
At the end of the day, the donations didn’t stop coming in.
“No, it did not stop,” Hoskins said. “We had an Amazon truck -- I’ve never seen it -- they had two Amazon workers in it. The following day, dropped off over 360 more boxes. The day after that, another 240 boxes by Amazon. It was still coming. We’re still getting more and it’s just we couldn’t be more grateful.”
A mother with several children was staying with them while working hard to save for an apartment. Despite her efforts, her paychecks were depleted after covering security deposits and daycare expenses, but thanks to these donations, HAVEN provided her family with basic needs, including bedding and essential groceries, enabling her to transition into her new home successfully.
In addition to the donations, something else special happened that day. Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault from the Metro Detroit area gathered to share their stories to let others know they are not alone.
Thank you for your donations to help women like Deodge and others working to rebuild. You’ve given them a little more hope for their next chapter.
We want to honor those making a difference. Click here to nominate someone who’s Going 4 It in your community. We’ll be featuring your nominees every month on Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit.