Judy was 8 months pregnant when she obtained an order of protection from her abuser and sought out the Salvation Army’s Joy D. Baker Center, a support program for women and their children who have suffered abuse. Judy immediately began participating in therapy sessions and life skills classes, and the Joy D. Baker staff worked with Knox County schools to ensure that her older children could stay at their school and have transportation there and back each day. Judy continued her therapy and classes and the Center and her children were safe and happy in a finally stable environment. After a month with the Salvation Army, Judy’s water broke. It was a boy! This motivated Judy more than ever, and three days after leaving the hospital with her new baby, she signed a lease on an apartment for herself and her children. The Joy D. Baker Center connected Judy with rent and utility assistance programs in Knoxville until she was able to go back to work after giving birth. With the support, safety, and stability offered by the Joy D. Baker Center, Judy was able to find housing, employment, and a brighter future for her family.
United Way of Greater Knoxville is grateful to have the resources to help amazing programs like the Salvation Army’s Joy D. Baker Center. The Center offers counseling, advocacy, and safe lodging for both women and children victims of domestic abuse, keeping families together on their road to healing. Change doesn’t happen alone. To live better, we must LIVE UNITED.