Hope Harbor Home is the only agency providing shelter and advocacy for domestic violence victims and their children in Brunswick County.  Hope Harbor Home opened its permanent shelter in 1988 and in the last three calendar years alone has served more than 600 women, children and men in danger from domestic violence.

In 1993 the organization expanded its services to include victims of sexual assault, and in 2006 it contracted with Coastal Horizons to take over sexual assault response in Brunswick County. Its mission is to provide services and shelter to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and sexual assault and to educate the community on these issues.

Hope Harbor Home provides emergency shelter, confidential individual counseling, court advocacy and support groups that help victims restore their own personal power and lead healthy and productive lives without the cycle of violence and abuse.

“Our support groups are forums for clients to learn more about the dynamics of domestic violence and its effects on their children and to gain strength from each other’s shared experiences,” says Lynn Carlson, Community Resource Director of Hope Harbor Home.

Children affected by witnessing domestic violence are assisted in individual and group programs that help rebuild their self esteem as well as grow and develop in positive ways. All of the programs offered at Hope Harbor Home are available for Spanish-speaking clients.

“The best way to support women in our community who have experienced domestic violence is to become educated about domestic violence, to recognize the signs of it and to understand that domestic violence is not about love, but about power and control,” Carlson advises. “Violence in a relationship is not normal and is never temporary. More than 95 percent of its reported victims are women, and 31 percent of female homicide victims have died at the hands of a domestic partner. It is estimated that 15 to 25 percent of pregnant women are battered.”

Carlson says there are many misconceptions about domestic violence.

“These include the notion that intimate-partner violence is simply a temporary ‘loss of control’ by the abuser,” Carlson states. “Rather, it is a deliberate act to gain power and control the victim. Another is that violence in a relationship is normal or justified or inconsequential—or that it will end because the abuser promises to stop or starts to act apologetic or regretful. Another is that the violence only affects the adults involved. Children who witness domestic violence are permanently affected by it and often grow up to be abused or to become abusive.”

Carlson says that abusive relationships are often deeply complex.

“Every victim must make her own decision to leave an abusive relationship, and most leave several times and return before leaving for good,” Carlson says. “There is a cycle of violence in these relationships which represents a sequence of moods and actions that are often repeated in abusive relationships.

Carlson encourages women who are affected by domestic violence to reach out for help.

People being abused can contact Hope Harbor Home any time of day or night and speak with a victim advocate about their situation,” she says.  “We also have an office in Brunswick County Courthouse where victims can get help obtaining domestic violence protective orders and other support as they navigate the justice system. We shelter victims from immediate danger and provide information and support to help them make safe decisions for themselves and their children.”

More than 150 volunteers support Hope Harbor Home by serving as Court Victim Advocates and as administrative support or by working at one of Hope Harbor Home’s five Hope Chest Thrift Stores in Holden Beach, Leland, Oak Island, Bolivia and Ocean Isle Beach.

“These stores are critical to the operation of Hope Harbor Home, as their combined profits generate about 40 percent of the annual operating budget of our organization,” Carlson says. “The stores also serve as important outreach centers for Hope Harbor Home’s mission. Information is available at each of the stores about domestic violence and about Hope Harbor Home. We are always in need of more volunteers in all of the stores.”

Their major annual fund-raising event is the Hope Harbor Home Women’s Club Championship Golf Tournament, held every August. This year’s tournament took place at Carolina National, and all proceeds of the tournament go toward supporting the shelter and other programs for domestic violence victims and their children.

Hope Harbor Home welcomes opportunities to collaborate with businesses in Brunswick County, including those that can provide goods, services and cash donations to support their shelters and programs.

Individuals can donate time, money or items that the shelter constantly needs, such as cleaning supplies, children’s videos, twin sheet sets, bath towels, personal hygiene items, etc. Individuals can also support Hope Harbor Home simply by donating or buying goods at the thrift stores.

For more information on Hope Harbor Home and its programs, services and needs, please visit the website at www.hopeharborhome.org or call (910) 754-5726.