The American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence estimates that 10 million individuals within the United States are victims of domestic violence annually, with as many as 1-in-4 women and 1-in-9 men becoming victims of domestic abuse every year.
The surge in domestic violence, especially during COVID lockdowns, has increased over 51% according to recent data provided by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. With those staggering numbers on the rise, what are victims of domestic abuse to do? The obvious answer is to immediately leave that dangerous environment before suffering additional physical abuse.
However, in many instances, housewives and stay-at-home moms may lack the financial means to escape a life threatening environment. That is, until now.
A recent program launched by College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving now provides a FREE moving service, especially for victims of domestic violence. The moving company has already completed over 100 free moves for those who are fleeing an unsafe situation in the U.S. and Canada.
College HUNKS co-founder Nick Friedman recently told Good News Network, “I definitely think our Free Moves for Survivors of Domestic Violence program sheds light on a really important issue that is not often talked about.
“As a purpose driven, socially-conscious organization we’re always looking for ways to positively impact our communities—in this case, particularly for those who feel powerless in unhealthy home situations.”
Moving Company College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving @CollegeHunks https://t.co/Gaodd9wXiI ,Now Helps Victims of Domestic Violence Leave Abusive Homes Nationwide At No Cost #collegehunks #DomesticAbuse – @goodnewsnetwork https://t.co/BiRlfcuNiK
— ure_too_close (@ure_too_close) November 30, 2020
The concept in providing a free moving service for victims of domestic abuse isn’t new. In fact, another moving company, Meathead Movers, actually began the trend 20 years ago.
Back then, the high school athletes who started the moving company were simply looking for a quick way to earn some extra cash. However, they soon began getting frantic phone calls from women with little or no money looking to quickly move out of their homes before their abusive husbands or boyfriends returned. The compassionate movers always responded, never accepting any compensation, and would quickly load the belongings of the women and moving them out.
Unfortunately, back in 2000, a potential volatile situation arose when the abusive spouse suddenly returned home while in the middle of the move. That dicey encounter convinced the company along with the moving crew that they needed to partner with a local women’s shelter.
Meathead’s CEO Aaron Steed told GNN, “What was good about that is, they could be vetting the requests for help, supporting the women with counseling, and making sure when we went in, the proper restraining orders were in place, or police were on hand if necessary.”
“It’s the special service we like to offer. These moves became very personal to us, made all the employees so proud, and became part of our mission statement,” Steed said. He also mentioned the same services are offered to any victim of domestic violence, male or female.
Beth Raub, director of the local women’s shelter, said that one of their staff is always on-site the day of the move so they can “call law enforcement if things get dicey”.
Last year, the company donated more then $150,000 worth of moving services, partnering with eight domestic violence shelters in Central and Southern California.
With the launch last month by College Hunks Hauling, their free service has also extended across their 131 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada, offering the same free moving service as Meathead Movers.
Individuals who need this kind of help should first contact their local domestic violence-prevention shelter to notify them of their situation.
This story syndicated with permission from My Faith News
"*" indicates required fields
