More than 300 volunteers and staff will put up special door knockers around Orange County this weekend on Saturday, March 23.
The door knockers contain life-saving information for survivors of domestic violence, their friends and family members. Teams will hang over 16,000 door knockers at apartments and subdivisions.
Harbor House Director Michelle Sperzel said the domestic violence nonprofit received nearly 10,000 calls to their confidential crisis hotline last fiscal year, an increase of 400 calls from the previous year.
She encouraged anyone experiencing physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse, to reach out for help.
“Domestic violence is not your fault. And it's never okay for someone to abuse another person. To call and reach out for help is incredibly difficult. But when someone is ready, and when, if you're listening and when you're ready, a place like Harbor House is going to be there to help and to listen,” said Sperzel.
Sperzel said in the last year alone, her nonprofit was able to find safe housing for more than 900 residents and children fleeing domestic abuse.
But she said they can provide other services as well.
“Not everybody needs shelter, they might need to file an injunction, they might be looking to relocate to another area of the state or another part of the United States, they might be wanting to relocate back to a different country,” said Sperzel. “And our advocates are there to be able to help someone navigate the criminal justice system, but also to navigate everything that goes along with basically dealing with domestic violence, dealing with the aftermath of it, even medical bills.”
Sperzel said some red flags to look out for when it comes to abusive relationships include a person being isolated from friends or family either emotionally or physically.
Other signs include changes to a person’s self esteem, or a partner who is increasingly jealous or controlling.
“A partner who is incredibly jealous, calls you names, belittles you in front of different people. And a partner who always needs to know where you are, and is showing up at your work or calling your work,” said Sperzel. “Or they just happen to always seem to know where you are. And they're constantly calling you on your phone saying well, why are you here because we're using Life360 to track you.”
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, women ages 18 to 34 generally experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence. And 30 to 60% of abusers also abuse children in a household.
If you or someone you know is being abused, call Harbor House at 1-800-500-1119. Or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
Read more about the different types of abuse here, and the warning signs of abuse here.
