Agency gives domestic violence victims a Fresh Start

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - According to the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, everyday more than a thousand victims need the services of Indiana agencies. One of those agencies is Fresh Start of Indiana .

Fresh Start is seeing a 36 percent increase in the number of people who need their services. The agency is helping women like Cynthia Washington, a mother of four. By the time she summoned the courage to leave her abusive husband, she literally had nothing.

"I lost my job that I had been working for nine years. I lost my house. I lost my car. I lost everything," said Washington.

She'd suffered her husband's beatings for 11 years and the abuse escalated. He threatened to kill her and once tried to carry out that threat. She knew she had to leave. A friend told her about Fresh Start of Indiana.

"When I first came here, it really helped. They made me feel more as a human being because when I left, I felt less than [human]," she said.

Fresh Start of Indiana helped her with what she needed including clothing, dishes, furniture and a sofa.

Now, Fresh Start of Indiana is getting some help from The Garden, an alternative arm of St. Luke United Methodist Church .

The Garden holds non-traditional Sunday services at Beef and Boards and the Oak Hill Mansions and gives contributions to worthy charities. Fresh Start, its charity of choice for the first quarter of 2010, will receive more than $7,000 to help abused women.

"So often when domestic violence survivors leave their relationship they don't have a trusted support system and the congregation, the members of The Garden, are showing that support," said Judy House, founder of Fresh Start of Indiana.

With financial support, the organization can help more women like Cynthia make a fresh start.

Fresh Start of Indiana needs donations of non-perishable food, artificial Christmas trees and monetary donations to help families during the Christmas season.