City Life

As of today, November 12,2009, we have one family placed in a home and another one ready to move in next week.  It is a small beginning but, the important point is this - it is a beginning!  This is only one of many projects we have planned to fulfill our goal of being a resource center for families in Gem and Boise counties.

Having a safe secure home sounds like an impossible dream for a victim of violence.  Now it is not impossible.  In the coming months, we have plans for many other programs.  Families need help from their own communities particularly when you live in a rural area.  It is our intent to bring those services to these families and to provide a way to end the cycle of violence. 

If you check out "What's New" on the home page, you will see that City Life is going to be able to provide limited but affordable housing for victims.  We are sooooooo excited about this.  It is the fulfillment of a dream we have had for several years.  Leaving a violent or harmful situation is extremely difficult, particularly when you are faced with limited income and no place to go.  Having a home is important to all of us.  Having a home you can afford in a necessity.  Through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a Federal Grant, City Life can now provide exactly those things for victims.

Life has been busy.  Weddings, visitors, summer fun - being busy can be great.  It can also be stressful.  I guess it all depends on how we look at it.  Opportunities often come when we least expect them; they don't look like we expect; and, they come when we think we are too busy to take advantage of them. 

Maybe that's the point - we have to learn how to take advantage of opportunities and grab hold of them while we can. 

As the effects of the economic crisis go deeper and deeper, families are being profoundly impacted.  The stress is creating friction and violence but they are staying together because of money fears.  Substance abuse is on the rise as families look for ways to cope. 

How can communities help these families?  By noticing and offering help.  It is a simple step that anyone can take.  Be a friend.  Listen.  Report if you see or hear violence.  Offer to go with them to get help.

Our government has passed laws providing victims with rights they greatly deserve.  Our government pays for institutions to punish those who perpetrated crimes against those victims.  However, organizations which assist victims and provide them with their rights must beg for money from grants, foundations, and their communities or - just do all this out of the goodness of their hearts.  The problem is - it requires staff, a building, printers, supplies, and much more in order to help the victims who have been promised their rights. 

It seems that if society can provide for the perpetrators rights and needs, they should do the same for the victims. 

I often hear people say that those in need can't find help.  I know from experience that people often have help available to them that they don't use.  Why?  Well, I don't know all the reasons and can't pretend to know what others are thinking or feeling.  But, if you want to change your life there is help.  Will it be hard to change? Yes.  Will you have to change your schedule? Yes. Will it cost you? Yes.

Change is always hard - doesn't matter who you are.

Anyone who wants a better life has to change their schedule and do things they don't want to do when they don't want to do them.

There is always cost involved.  It may cost money. It may cost time. It may cost friends.  You get what you pay for.

What a wonderful time to celebrate - freedom.  Americans value it enough to die for it.  Hopefully we will all one day see that there should be freedom in families - freedom from violence - freedom from control - freedom to live and love without fear.

In these difficult times, lack of jobs and money can affect families in ways they have not experienced before.  Someone in the family may turn to alcohol or drugs to ease the pain only to find out that the frustrations and fears are all still there.  Rather than having to deal with a lifetime problem - a conviction for domestic violence - families need to reach out and find local resources for help.  Call a church, a friend, an advocacy program, or dial 211 for help.

Welcome to City Life's blog.  We hope that you find it helpful and that you honor our committment to integrity.  We will block all profanity and improper comments. 

Please - DO NOT post here if there is a possibility that your abuser could utilize any information to find you.

Update on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 4:56PM by fw

How sad that we focus on the death of a man who had all the possibilities in the world and yet chose to be self-destructive instead.  Michael Jackson is a sad figure.  What is even more sad to me is that there are so many people who do twice as much good with half of what he had but - because they are just normal people - you will never hear about them.  The eyes of our society are certainly focused on all the wrong things.