Justine Baker

Trap House Justine Baker

This is an inside look from the experience of a resident that finally went to a center for non-violent living a.k.a. women's shelter. While hopefully, not all are like this, it does happen and to many. It is also a very real reason why many women go back to an abuser. The daily exposure to trauma and the need for higher standards until better options for victims exist. Few know the system that further degrades them and leaves them often powerless vs. empowered. In 1973 the first women's shelter opened, it was needed, but the system for empowering women has become a business to exploit and add to the homeless "industry". Meanwhile, shelters remain needed vs. an alternate solution that isn't an environment for women and children to be further traumatized. Trauma and stigmas that often have many choosing to return to abuse than an entire system to break vs. build.