“I don’t think enough people know that a place like this exists,” said Deb, whose name has been changed here to protect her identity. She was resting comfortably n the living room of Hale Ho’omalu.

“I cannot emphasize enough, when your back is up against a corner, that there’s a number you can call to get some help … I can’t tell you the value of that. It’s just tremendous.”

Hale Ho’omalu, meaning, “House of Refuge,” is a federally funded agency also known on Molokai as the Battered Women’s Shelter. Deb is one of many victims who found sanctuary here.

Approximately 4,000 American women die every year from domestic violence, which the shelter defines as “a pattern of coercive, controlling behavior which can include physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological abuse.”

Hale Ho’omalu has provided services for domestic violence victims since 1991 and is the only agency of its kind on the island. It is open 24 hours, seven days a week with full time advocates readily available through personal assistance as well as a crisis hotline.

The shelter, which can house up to 22 women and children at one time, provides all necessities for its clients, including food, transportation, clothing and other basic commodities at no cost. A homelike atmosphere provides women with comfortable sofas, clean rooms and even books and toys for children.

“You can come absolutely without anything … People can’t plan ahead. They have to come in the moment [and] most things are provided for,” Deb said.

Victims undergo a 48-hour assessment period in which the agency determines whether they fit certain criteria. Those who have suffered physical abuse or threats from family members can stay for 90 days at the shelter.

During those 90 days, staff members network with various on-island social service providers to provide each client with a support group specific to her needs.

“What we try to do is help them reach their goal, whatever those goals might be,” said Malia Pierce, former executive director of Hale Ho’omalu. “Every plan would be different depending on the needs and wants of the women,” she said.
Deb said it took the staff four hours to arrange everything she needed after contacting the agency. “The biggest thing about this shelter is that they listen, and they help,” Deb said. “One of the things that’s really great is that you hear the care in their voice,” she added.

Residents come and go as they please and abide by a few rules such as no alcohol, swearing or violence. Although most victims are from Molokai, the shelter also houses women across the state and from the mainland who are transferred to the island because they are at high risk.

Pierce said being in a small community such as Molokai often works against women because everybody is connected and women may be prejudged before they even consider finding help. “One of the things that is so important here is that we just don’t judge anybody. We take everybody at face value and really respect and honor the fact that their lives are their lives,” she said.

Women who seek refuge with Hale Ho’omalu often want the violence to end, but not the relationship with their spouses. Most will choose to return to their batterers; many end up back at the shelter.
“There are so many barriers to why women don’t leave [their spouses]. And leaving is not always the best choice. It depends really on the woman,” Pierce said.

Sharon Samonte, the shelter’s manager, said calling the police oftentimes leads to retaliation from batterers. “Getting a restraining order is good for documentation, but it will not stop anybody,” she said.

Everything revealed in the shelter is confidential; residents are encouraged but never forced to call the police. “For us to eliminate violence against women … we hope to really role model that we’re not an institutionalized agency with our own issues with power and control,” Pierce said.

Both Pierce and Samonte, along with almost all of the agency’s 12 staff members, are survivors of lethal domestic violence themselves.

“It’s really important to me that the survivors in the movement do the work in the movement,” Pierce said.

“I’ve been there,” Samonte said. “I know how it feels.” Samonte said she had absolutely nowhere to turn during her hardships. “Had I had the support, a lot of things would be different,” she said.

Pierce said she thought society does not understand the seriousness of domestic violence. “What needs to change is that people need to not only know it’s against the law … but to take action and not be so accepting of it,” she said.

Pierce said the shelter believes domestic violence is mainly a men’s issue. “What I would love to see is men teaching their sons and their grandsons to have respect for women and really making and pledging themselves to not condone violence against women in the media, at the government level, pornography…” she said.

She said the time allotted isn’t nearly enough to help women achieve their goals, but it’s never a lost cause.
“If they haven’t achieved anything else, they know they’re not alone,” she said. They know where they can go for safety and for help … They have at least a better understanding of what’s happening in their lives.”