85% of survivors go back to their abuser because they don’t have the financial means to sustain themselves. This often means no place to call home beyond a shelter or temporarily staying with family and friends. We have a plan to fill the gap. “Carolyn’s Haven of Hope will be a place to heal in a safe environment with accountability on both ends,” said Cathlene Miner, founder of Hopefull Handbags Global (HH). “Survivors would be in our successful SHINE and NEW Programs while participating in the upkeep of their home and working toward a sustainable place of their own.” Cathlene believes we can collectively change the equation for those leaving abusive situations.

It’s also vital to understand that not everyone who ends up in an abusive relationship grew up in an abusive home. Many survivors come from supportive, loving families. Abusers are often highly manipulative: they isolate their partners from friends and family, steadily undermine their confidence, and convince them they can’t do any better or that no one else will support them. Over time, this isolation and manipulation can make a survivor feel trapped and alone even when caring support systems exist and want to help.

It has been proven over time that individuals are a reflection of their surroundings. We learn from the people around us, good or bad. To change a behavior that isn’t serving them, individuals need to surround themselves with positive people who are moving in the direction they want to go. Sometimes that means changing friends, associates, and environments. For example, someone recovering from alcoholism avoids circles centered on drinking. Similarly, domestic abuse survivors benefit from meeting people who model what’s possible: living independently, achieving financial sustainability, and building a healthy, safe life for themselves, their children, and their community.

Until survivors are surrounded by those who have made a successful change, it’s hard to believe they can do the same. This is the critical value of Carolyn’s Haven of Hope and the SHINE and NEW programs: they show the path to financial independence and a life free from abusive control.

Domestic abuse can also extend across generations because people mirror what they see and may struggle to envision a better path. When survivors leave, rebuild, and sustain an independent life, they set a living example for their children teaching that abuse is wrong, must not be tolerated, and that there is a different way to live.

Breaking that intergenerational chain of abuse has a powerful ripple effect improving families, schools, workplaces, and communities far beyond what we can imagine today.

Hopefull Handbags Global is a bridge organization that raises hope and helps survivors find BRIDGES of CONNECTION to resources, support, education, and self-growth. HH is a connector, bringing global awareness to domestic abuse and advancing sustainability for survivors and their children. We recognize that shelters may be the first stop, but they are not a long-term solution. We noticed a gap in one-on-one mentorship across our communities and have been on a mission to close it.

Once survivors take the enormous step to leave and go to a shelter or stay with family or friends, they encounter obstacles that too often lead them back to their abuser.

IF SURVIVORS ARE READY TO STEP ONTO THE BRIDGE… THEN WE’RE GOING TO GIVE THEM ALL THE TOOLS AND HELP THEM GET TO THE OTHER SIDE.

Carolyn’s Haven of Hope Bridge Housing will be that bridge.

This 18-month program is a time to heal and to gain skills, employment, confidence, and a healthy self-perception and lifestyle, with a mentor walking alongside them.

Contact Cathlene Miner, Founder of Hopefull Handbags Global
Carolyn’s Haven of Hope • info@hopefullhandbags.org