'It affects almost everybody.' How abuse victims face hurdle with no Horry shelter

Horry County does not have a dedicated shelter to house domestic violence victims

“It just boggles the mind you wouldn’t have one here in Horry,” said Jimmy Richardson, 15th circuit judicial solicitor.

Domestic violence victims can often find the smallest roadblock forces them to stay in the abusive relationship. He said he will change. They provide for my kids. One more time and I’m going to leave. I work nearby. My neighbors will know. It will be different this time.

It was my fault.

Horry County adds another: I have nowhere to go.

Local victims are left with only a handful of options if they want to leave. Travel 45 minutes to the shelter in Georgetown or take up residence in a hotel — neither are good options for a permanent end to the cycle of mental and physical abuse.

But, The Family Justice Center of Georgetown and Horry County hopes to make it a bit easier for Horry County victims starting in the summer of 2019. The organization hopes to raise more than a million dollars for a new shelter in Horry County.

“It’s not a tiny problem, it affects almost everybody,” Executive Director Vicki Bourus said. “If you don’t know of a victim, you probably have worked with a victim, you probably have a victim in your family, you may have a neighbor that’s a victim. That’s how common it is, it’s almost impossible to go through life without knowing someone.”

'When women leave that doesn’t guarantee safety'

Domestic violence is not an isolated problem in South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster called it a top issue. It’s a crime that does not discriminate across gender, socioeconomic, religious or educational lines.

Horry County had about 700 third-degree domestic violence cases in 2017, according to data from the solicitor’s office. Third-degree is the least serious of domestic violence. There were almost 400 cases of a more serious nature and more than half of those were Horry County police arrests.

South Carolina also ranks among the top five states for the number of women killed by men, according to the Violence Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group.

Many victims depend on their abuser, who might provide for the family or help raise the children. Victims also remember a time when there was love, when everything was great and believe it will come back, Bourus said. But, it’s often only for days or weeks before the abuse returns.

Abusers also tend not to relinquish control, showing up at workplaces, friend’s houses or other areas where the victim frequents.

Those issues are on top of the pain a victim might already feel about the end of a relationship, Bourus said.

That is where the roadblocks come from that might make a victim think they can’t leave or they should continue the relationship. That is where the Family Justice Center enters the picture.

The center offers numerous services for victims including counseling, legal assistance, housing and financial aid. The center also offers assistance for counseling and help for children who live in an abusive home.

"The array of services is designed to really close the safety net, to hold this family up and to help them break the cycle so it’s not this immediate return to the abuser,” Bourus said.

When victims have support for 18 months they are less likely to return to the abuser, Bourus said. The center hopes to increase its services to help a client through that entire stretch.

The abuse also has effect on those not directly effected by domestic violence. Bourus said many victims become disabled and need disability. There are also items like a loss of productivity in the workspace that can impact the community. There is also the cost to the criminal justice system.

Some might wonder why victims just don’t leave an abuser, but Bourus explained it’s often not as easy as that sounds.

“When women leave that doesn’t guarantee safety,” Bourus said.

The first step is contacting the center through its 24/7 hotline - (844) 208-0161 - to create a plan so the victim can leave the abuse safely.

If someone suspects a co-worker or friend is the victim of domestic violence the best course is to befriend that person, Bourus said. They can ask about the situation, but expect some resistance. The victim could say things like “he has a bad temper” or “he really explodes.”

But, over time, the friend can suggest they are concerned and direct people to the center where victims can get help for when they are ready to leave.

Much of center's support is housed at its Georgetown facility. The organization earlier this year opened a new home along Haymarket Street in Georgetown that provides ample office space to help victims.

While Horry County lacks a dedicated shelter, the center does have a presence with an office in Myrtle Beach off Apache Drive. That center offers some of the legal and support help a victim might need. However, if they need a place to stay the center has to direct them to the Georgetown facility or cover the cost of a hotel room.

For the center, many of its victims come from the Myrtle Beach area. It helps about 800 people a year. During the first three months of 2018, it helped about 150 adults and children who reside in Horry County.

“When you think about the number of victims we served in Horry County between January 1 and March 30, that’s a lot of people,” Bourus said. “And that requires shelter in Horry County.”

'Pushed the obligation off for far too long'

Years ago, Horry County offered a shelter through the Citizens Against Spouse Abuse. But financial mismanagement spelled the end of that organization. New Directions took over the facility and offers shelter, but its mission is designed around homelessness, according to local officials.

The burden fell to the Family Justice Center, which had two employees six years ago and 23 today to provide support to nearly 1,000 victims each year.

The Family Justice Center hopes to raise $1.6 million to build or buy a shelter for Horry County victims. That is in addition to plans to increase capacity at the Georgetown facility. Bourus admitted the goal and timeline are ambitious, but the need is desperate.

“I think that is the message that has gotten out, we as a community will not tolerate it and we will support the services that are needed to interrupt this cycle with these families,” Bourus said.

Fred Nesta initially got involved with the center trying to donate clothing. Today, his involvement centers around fundraising for the Horry County center.

“I was flabbergasted,” Nesta said about learning there is no local facility.

Large thermometers at area businesses that track the progress toward separate $10,000 goals. Area restaurants have tip cards - where people can add an amount to their bill that is then donated to the center.

There is also a “walk in her shoes” fundraising effort set for October. Nesta said his hope is that fundraiser generates hundreds of thousands of dollars that can go toward constructing the Horry facility.

There are also community leaders pushing elected officials to help create the Horry shelter.

Richardson said he tells state leaders looking to help domestic violence victims not to give him money, but to provide it to places like the Family Justice Center where it can do more good. He called the shelter’s services “essential.”

He added the community has “pushed the obligation off to Georgetown family justice center for far too long.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 10:35 AM with the headline "'It affects almost everybody.' How abuse victims face hurdle with no Horry shelter."