{"id":14475,"date":"2017-11-27T21:39:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T21:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/?p=14475"},"modified":"2023-05-30T23:58:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T22:58:46","slug":"women-led-startup-turns-domestic-abuse-survivors-into-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/2017\/11\/27\/women-led-startup-turns-domestic-abuse-survivors-into-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Women-led startup turns domestic abuse survivors into entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Financial insecurity keeps women trapped in violent relationships. FreeFrom, a California not-for-profit, wants to break the cycle.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><!-- GUARDIAN WATERMARK --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2017\/nov\/23\/domestic-abuse-survivors-free-from-entrepreneur-startups\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/image.guardian.co.uk\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2010\/03\/01\/poweredbyguardian.png\" alt=\"Powered by Guardian.co.uk\" width=\"140\" height=\"45\" \/>This article titled &#8220;Women-led startup turns domestic abuse survivors into entrepreneurs&#8221; was written by Olivia Solon in San Francisco, for theguardian.com on Thursday 23rd November 2017 12.00 UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A month ago Christine and her children were living in a shelter for survivors of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/domestic-violence\">domestic violence<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Now she lives in her own apartment and runs a business selling aromatherapy products on the side while working as an admin assistant.<\/p>\n<p>She credits that transition to a not-for-profit called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freefrom.org\/\">FreeFrom<\/a>, which helps women who have left abusive partners launch businesses and become financially independent so they can build new lives for themselves and their children.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail\">\n<p> <span>Related: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/apr\/11\/domestic-violence-shooting-deaths-women-husbands-boyfriends\">Domestic violence and guns: the hidden American crisis ending women&#8217;s lives<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cFreeFrom gave me the opportunity to be myself and be good at something. My whole life I\u2019ve been told \u2018you can\u2019t do this or that\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I can and I\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The organisation runs a six-month training and mentorship program to coach the women through setting up their business, getting their first customers and coming up with a branding and marketing strategy. The FreeFrom team also helps them rebuild their credit and win compensation for the harm they have suffered through legal aid.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-image\" data-media-id=\"80bb11f8b404fe531755b9f82b6e027096cff302\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/80bb11f8b404fe531755b9f82b6e027096cff302\/0_0_5472_3283\/1000.jpg\" alt=\"Sonya Passi founded FreeFrom in 2016.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" class=\"gu-image\" \/><figcaption> <span class=\"element-image__caption\">Sonya Passi founded FreeFrom in 2016.<\/span> <span class=\"element-image__credit\">Photograph: FreeFrom<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>FreeFrom, which was founded in 2016 by lawyer and former investment banker Sonya Passi, is currently working with 30 female entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland and will launch in New York early next year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a common misconception that these women are weak, emotionally fragile bad decision makers, but they are resilient, resourceful and talented,\u201d said Passi.<\/p>\n<p>Passi was inspired to help survivors of domestic violence after learning from one of her law professors at Berkeley in 2013 that about 50% of women who leave abusive partners lose custody of their children. No one appeals those cases because it\u2019s too expensive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I went to my professor and said \u2018let\u2019s appeal those cases\u2019,\u201d she said. That\u2019s how she came to launch the Family Violence Appellate Project, a legal aid program for survivors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-image\" data-media-id=\"29b49e1e1af5c49db4d3dcdb12d78b27dc4fbd6a\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/29b49e1e1af5c49db4d3dcdb12d78b27dc4fbd6a\/0_13_1192_1192\/1000.png\" alt=\"Some of the entrepreneurs are building jewellery businesses.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" class=\"gu-image\" \/><figcaption> <span class=\"element-image__caption\">Some of the entrepreneurs are building jewelry businesses.<\/span> <span class=\"element-image__credit\">Photograph: FreeFrom<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The first case they worked on was a dispute where the abusive partner was given custody of his three-year-old child despite the fact that he had molested her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the main reasons was that the abuser was the more financially secure parent. That really started me on a whole new course,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much pressure to leave, especially because of the impact on the children, but then they leave and lose their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Passi launched FreeFrom to try and tackle that dilemma.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-pullquote element--supporting\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>I wanted to start my own business, but it\u2019s so hard to get out of the welfare system<\/p>\n<footer> <cite>Helen<\/cite> <\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p>One in four women in the US will experience severe violence at the hands of their partner during their lifetime. On top of physical abuse, most survivors (98%) are also financially abused, with income taken away from them and debt racked up on credit cards taken out in their name. It\u2019s the financial insecurity \u2013 no job, no cash, no credit \u2013 that can make it very difficult for victims to leave their abusers for good.<\/p>\n<p>FreeFrom\u2019s Oakland program, which launched in June, is helping 15 women turn their business ideas into startups through individual and group coaching sessions.<\/p>\n<p>FreeFrom has encouraged Paloma, whose ambition is to have her own food truck selling Tex-Mex vegan nachos \u2013 to find her first paying customers and plan her menu and branding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s given me a sense of confidence,\u201d she said during her one-to-one mentoring session with FreeFrom\u2019s entrepreneurship program manager Tannia Ventura at the Alameda Justice Center. \u201cI want to be able to prosper and pass it on to my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-image element--supporting\" data-media-id=\"34959cc2676aead142854c11d1c1d56d64b32be4\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/34959cc2676aead142854c11d1c1d56d64b32be4\/0_9_643_386\/500.png\" alt=\"Tannia Ventura is FreeFrom\u2019s entrepreneurship program manager\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" class=\"gu-image\" \/><figcaption> <span class=\"element-image__caption\">Tannia Ventura is FreeFrom\u2019s entrepreneurship program manager.<\/span> <span class=\"element-image__credit\">Photograph: FreeFrom<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Julie found out about FreeFrom from a poster in a domestic violence shelter in San Francisco. She wants to provide transportation and care services for the elderly, and FreeFrom has helped her come up with a marketing plan, design business cards and get a smartphone.<\/p>\n<p>Helen found FreeFrom when she was losing custody of her daughter and couldn\u2019t afford a lawyer. \u201cI wanted to start my own business, but it\u2019s so hard to get out of the welfare system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She wants to open an Ethiopian restaurant in Alameda and is seeking smaller catering jobs in the interim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe common theme with all these women is that they are incredibly capable,\u201d said Passi. \u201cAll we really do is say \u2018we believe in you, you can do this and we are here to support you\u2019. That little bit of encouragement has such tremendous impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-image\" data-media-id=\"76f33fae1cff8eda85605f14fb1088054ef66b72\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/76f33fae1cff8eda85605f14fb1088054ef66b72\/0_3_1192_1192\/1000.png\" alt=\"The children\u2019s beds in Christine\u2019s new apartment.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" class=\"gu-image\" \/><figcaption> <span class=\"element-image__caption\">The children\u2019s beds in Christine\u2019s new apartment.<\/span> <span class=\"element-image__credit\">Photograph: FreeFrom<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In addition to providing mentorship, FreeFrom also creates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/registry\/wishlist\/1Q22XTS6QOI5Q\/ref=cm_sw_em_r_d_g__wb\">Amazon wishlists<\/a> for supplies that people can buy for survivors to help them rebuild their lives. It was one such wishlist that helped Christine furnish her apartment with a futon sofa, beds and books for her kids and a TV.<\/p>\n<p>She now frequently finds herself sitting on the sofa with her children and marvelling at what she\u2019s achieved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust enjoying the peace and safety and knowing that no one can take this away from us,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t get this through any government program, I got it through my own hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>guardian.co.uk &#169; Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010<\/p>\n<p>Published via the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/open-platform\/news-feed-wordpress-plugin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Guardian plugin page\" rel=\"noopener\">Guardian News Feed<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/wordpress.org\/extend\/plugins\/the-guardian-news-feed\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Wordress plugin page\" rel=\"noopener\">plugin<\/a> for WordPress.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END GUARDIAN WATERMARK --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Financial insecurity keeps women trapped in violent relationships. FreeFrom, a California not-for-profit, wants to break the cycle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10220698900476085_349663338397715":"","twitter_1370559253_1370559253":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[61,24,491,490,369,96,492,370,94,487,493],"class_list":["post-14475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-article","tag-business","tag-california","tag-domestic-violence","tag-entrepreneurs","tag-features","tag-olivia-solon","tag-small-business","tag-society","tag-us-news","tag-west-coast-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}