Juan

Most of the survivors we support at Casa Myrna are young women and their children. But we know that not all family violence is caused by men – 1 in 4 men in the U.S. have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. For Juan, the abuse was sudden and vicious after almost 15 years of relatively peaceful family life with his wife and two children.

Juan’s wife had always been verbally abusive toward him but that escalated to physical violence that left him traumatized. She kicked him out the house and 20 days later brought another man into his house.

“It’s very painful for me to talk about,” said Juan. “I have psychological trauma and I’m seeking a counselor for it. I was abandoned, no work, in the street. I do mechanic work, but as an immigrant, it’s hard to find work and I don’t have a garage. But the worst thing was she wouldn’t let me see my kids. She would say “no money, no kids”. Even when I gave her all the money I had, she would say it wasn’t enough. It was so hard. Kids need to see their Daddy too!”

Finally, a friend told Juan about Casa Myrna and he called. First, our immigration attorney helped him to take the necessary steps to change his undocumented status and obtain a work permit. Casa Myrna provided him with gift cards to help Juan buy clothing, emergency supplies and food for his children. Currently, he is working with our Housing Advocates to find safe permanent housing so that his children can visit with him.

“Casa Myrna put a lot of tools in my hands for the future. Now I’m working to have custody and have the court decide how much money to pay for child support. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I have my family back, I want to pay it forward and help somebody. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t get help.”