HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The organization, "Realtors in Action" hosted a "Standing Against Domestic Violence" forum with local nonprofits to spread the word about resources available for domestic abuse survivors.
This comes after a recent case of a Huntsville realtor being murdered by her former partner.
Rachell Pyle with Crisis Services of North Alabama says, "It's everywhere. It's closer to you than you really want to acknowledge. And it's not going away."
She is a domestic violence responder who works closely with law enforcement to offer emotional support for people in times of crisis.
Pyle shared in a presentation a large stack of reports of domestic violence that was accumulated in the month of April alone, "We see about 250 to 260, sometimes more cases a month and that's an intimate partner. And it's a lot. And that's Madison city, Madison county and Huntsville police."
The nonprofit "Realtors in Action" brought together local organizations, Crisis Services of North Alabama, National Children's Advocacy Center and AshaKiran to share with the community how they can help survivors of domestic abuse.
AshaKiran says their organization strives to bridge the gap for the underserved foreign born community,
Kamilah Torres, with AshaKiran says, "Our focus is on the foreign born, but we offer services to anybody who is in crisis with regards to domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking."
Adde Waggoner with Crisis Services of North Alabama says they urge those in immediate danger to call 911 when safe to do so, "But if you're just kind of looking into it and thinking about maybe safety planning or you're not sure if what you're experiencing is full-on abuse, call the helpline, we're there 24 hours a day."
The Crisis Helpline is 256-716-1000.
And when asked why representatives from these organizations do what they do, "Someone was there for me and provided me with hope," Waggoner said
Pyle added, "Being vulnerable enough to accept who you are in your past and in your pain creates a beautiful world for us to lend a hand to people."