Charlotte's Story

When Charlotte* agreed to marry a man who had already hurt her, she didn’t think of him
as an abuser. Jay’s anger could lead to cruel words and bruises from grabbing her too hard, but he hadn’t hit her – yet. That started within a year of their wedding day, and his rage-filled outbursts escalated after they had a child. Pregnant a second time, Charlotte felt forced to move with Jay to live with his parents overseas. Isolated, barred from access to even her own money, Charlotte endured threats to herself and her children with a knife, a heavy mallet and the words, “Some people just need hit.”

Eventually, back in the United States and more frightened than ever, Charlotte tried to file a temporary PFA (protection from abuse) order – but overwhelmed and afraid she was making the worst decision of her life, did it incorrectly. Soon after, she learned about Neighborhood Legal Services. An NLS attorney stood by Charlotte from their first conversation through the final PFA hearing. Most importantly, though, NLS opened many more doors for Charlotte than the one to a courtroom.

“My NLS lawyer spent time talking to me about what abuse is. I hadn’t recognized a lot
of what Jay had done as abuse, because most of the people in my family exhibited those behaviors,” she said. “One thing became crystal clear: Something I thought I had no choice in was actually abuse, and I didn’t have to go back to it.”

For over 53 years, NLS has been guiding people like Charlotte through formidable challenges to a place of security and stability.

*Names have been changed to protect client’s safety and privacy.