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Grantee Profile: Project SAFE Provides Haven for Young Mom

August 13, 2007
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Now living in a hotel room in the San Fernando Valley, Project SAFE participant Elsa F. recalls her long struggle to leave her abusive ex-spouse. Project SAFE, a First 5 LA-funded Partnerships for Families program, helped her find a safe way out of the abusive relationship.

Elsa chokes up while describing the support that Bobreta Franklin, her case worker, has given her. "If it had not been for the help of Project SAFE, I would still be living with my ex,"said Elsa. "They have helped me so much. It is unbelievable."

The 29-year-old mother of six moved in with the father of her children at age 15. Dropping out of school in ninth grade, she had known no other support than his. After sustaining his abuse for years, and giving birth to her sixth child, Elsa finally decided to seek a way out.

She first tried a domestic violence shelter, but her 13-year-old decided to call his father, violating the strict anonymity shelters require. They were asked to leave, and she was forced to move back home. Soon afterward, Elsa and Bobreta put together a plan for her to move out of her estranged husband's house, with her children, and enroll in vocational school. The project is funding her family's current hotel stay and is also providing the child care she needs to go to school and get on her feet, away from the toxic environment she had lived in.

"She really has incredible strength,"said Bobreta, who meets with Elsa every week. "We can provide the basics, but it is Elsa who is parenting her children, going to school, and recovering from years of abuse right now. She is doing it with grace,"added Bobreta.

Project SAFE is designed to support families living in the San Fernando Valley area (SPA 2) who are considered at risk. Many families like Elsa's have been referred to the program by the Department of Children and Family Services, and participate until they are considered to be stable. The Project currently has 81 families enrolled, and has served 185 families since it began last year.

Project SAFE's collaborating partners include the San Fernando Community Mental Health Department, Friends of the Family, Child Care Resource Center, The Village Ready for School program, El Proyecto del Barrio, Now and Forever, El Nido, Jewish Family Service, Mission City Community Network, and the Help Group.

To learn more about Project SAFE contact Deborah Brownstone, Program Director at (818) 267-2754.