Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice / LAWS is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to provide victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse with safety, hope, and empowerment to live as survivors free from the effects of violence.  It is the only provider of domestic and sexual violence services in Loudoun County, Virginia that provides services and programs at no costs to victims in needs.  Among other things, LAWS offers an emergency shelter for women and children so that they can escape abusive circumstances, and the location of this shelter is not public so the residents can be assured of their safety while there.  I believe LAWS also offers a similar service to men (and their children).  LAWS also offers services to victims at its Community Services Center, which includes therapy, legal services, support groups, advocacy, and community outreach.  

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The first time my ex became physical with me was during a fight in October 2024.  Within a day or two, he left home to go to North Carolina for a month to help with hurricane relief.  Because he was already going to be out of town for a long time, I decided not to file for a protective order.  I did, however, immediately start the process of filing for divorce.  Knowing his temper, I wanted to have the divorce papers served on him while he was still in North Carolina.  I hoped that the 6-10 hour drive home after receiving them would help calm him down -- even though deep down I knew it wouldn't.  Just before the divorce complaint was filed, I reached out to LAWS to find out what they could do for me in case my ex showed up and things became . . . nasty.  With four kids at home, I didn't even want to wait around for the Sheriff's Office to arrive if things were really bad.   The LAWS representative I spoke with explained the process for using their emergency shelter to me, offered me some of victim support services, and provided some high level advice on the legal process going forward, answering questions I didn't even know I should be asking.  I packed to-go bags for the kids and I a few days before I knew the divorce complaint was going to be served, just in case we needed them.  And I saved the LAWS phone number in my emergency contacts.  In the end, I didn't end up using the LAWS emergency shelter after all.  But the LAWS representative I spoke with kept following up with me every few weeks to make sure my kids and I were still okay and to see if there were any other services that we could use.  

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The level of care that LAWS showed me and my family during that tumultuous time was invaluable.  Even though we didn't end up going into the emergency shelter or using their therapy services (the kids and I already had therapists of our own), just knowing that those services were there was a comfort.  And having someone following up with me and checking in on my family's safety was helped me feel safe when little else did during that period.  

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I am sincerely grateful for LAWS,.  If you are looking for a way to support a domestic violence survivor, I humbly ask that  you consider a donation to LAWS. 

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Thank you!