Abstract
The advocates -- both professional and volunteer -- of Helpmate, a domestic violence and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV) agency in Asheville, shared their lived experiences with DV/IPV advocacy through interviews and surveys. The advocates’ revealed how DV/IPV affected their own lives and intimated a collective mission to do what they could to heal their clients, the community, and often themselves. The advocates’ stories reflect Helpmate’s method of using the feminist empowerment model to move beyond the liminal place of the shelter, towards healing and agency to “create a life that is free of violence.” Helpmate’s integrative community approach, based on “collaborations that cultivate...strengths, knowledge, talents, and services” reflect in the advocates’ narratives. Additionally, the advocates’ narratives reveal a synchronistic vision with Helpmate the institution, to create a lasting peace for DV/IPV survivors and the community through proactive intentionality to stop the cycle of violence preemptively through education and outreach. This resulting ethnographic paper illustrates a diverse set of advocates with various motivations and identities, giving of themselves with time and talent, to cultivate a safe space for healing at Helpmate and in the broader community.
How to Cite:
Bell, K., (2013) “Helpers of Helpmate – Healing the Community”, UNC Test Journal 26(1).
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