Fawn Martin and her 5-year-old son, Zayden, would often find themselves playing games in the bathroom. Martin would turn the faucet on to let the water run as she and her son bonded. What sounds like fun family time was actually the tiniest bit of light in a horrifyingly dark situation. Martin's husband was physically abusive. Their time in the bathroom was to escape and drown out the violence that lurked just outside the bathroom door.
Then, one day, Martin looked at her son and knew it. She knew she had to get out of the horrible situation. She took her son, a few bags, and fled. Martin had no family, no friends, not even a driver's license or a high school diploma. The pair quickly found themselves homeless, but she knew that fending for herself and her son was better than living with domestic violence. After spending weeks in a shelter, Martin was connected with the Faith Family Hospitality program, a group of churches that house families for week-long shifts.
"They stepped in at the right time," Martin told The Coloradoan. "That's when Zayden and I were going through the most abuse. I was trying to find a way out, but I was so unsure of how to begin… I would take being homeless over what I had there any day."
Martin admits it isn't easy, nearly 60 percent of families at FFH end up back on the streets. What she has accomplished thus far, is pretty unbelievable. She discovered child care for Zayden, enrolled in a GED program, and has a new internship. For the mother, no longer having to hide, no longer living in fear, is well worth the obstacles to give her son the best, safest life she can.
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