“Can’t you take a joke?” “Why are you so sensitive?” “It’s just a prank, it isn’t hurting anyone.” These types of comments flood social media when the subject of insensitive…
Watching someone you care about suffer in an abusive relationship is heart-wrenching. “It’s like seeing parts of a jigsaw puzzle in fragments,” says Robin Hughes, Crisis Response Team (CRT) Manager…
Domestic violence is not always about visible bruises or broken bones. It often starts subtly, through words that cut deeper than any wound, and actions that strip away a person’s…
There is a common misunderstanding of who experiences abuse and how common domestic violence really is. The prevailing narrative is that abuse isn’t an issue or that it is happening…
After the COVID-19 pandemic, shelters across New Jersey began to see an increase in the need for emergency housing for survivors of domestic violence. Prior to 2020, if shelters were…
In the 1990s, JBWS recognized the need for more comprehensive housing services for people victimized by abuse. While JBWS’ Emergency Safe House Shelter had already been renovated to accommodate more…
When the William E. Simon Foundation started supporting JBWS, we were barely more than a shelter and a helpline. In fact, we had only stopped housing clients in volunteer’s personal…
Carlos was first referred to JBWS’ Abuse Ceases Today (A.C.T.) program several years ago. However, he did not complete the entirety of the 26-week group counseling program designed to encourage…
Theo completed the A.C.T. program, a 26-week group program designed for men who have used abuse through JBWS’ Jersey Center for Non-Violence, twenty years ago. He was going through a divorce…
Jamal was only a child when he first saw an incident of abuse occur between his parents. Throughout his childhood, Jamal routinely witnessed both verbal and physical abuse. Growing up…
