Safe Embrace

I last year I was trying to get help from safe embrace and did not get any help nor did they give me any assistance on where I could go to get help. They didn’t even do an intake. The only time I sat down with anyone there was when I went in to get a few shirts from their donation, The courts and detective from the state that I was living in had me move out of state for my safety and I came to Reno. I was able to get into a place after being homeless for over a year and have been struggling since. I see so many people getting help from safe embrace without even having any documentation of domestic violence. I feel like what happened to me doesn't matter.

Unfortunately I did not have a pleasant experience with the advocate at the TPO office located in the downtown court house. Azucena Trinidad was unable to help assist me in submitting ALL 11 of my documents for my TPO, then made it seem like it was MY FAULT because of how they were saved/sent over. I sent the documents one at a time and even she was having issues compressing the files down to a reasonable size to be able to be submitted. When I had mentioned it was from my police report and there should be some type of streamlined system so we don’t have to do this extra step, she wasn’t at all in agreement and continued to say it was a “tech issue.” (ME being the tech because I’m the one who converted the dumb pictures to a PDF.) When I had mentioned there shouldn’t be a file size limit for submitting things she insisted it was something I WAS DOING. (While still being unable to successfully make the files smaller herself.) She even stated “well she’s submitted 30 pages WITH a FULL report and has never had the issues I’m having. Yes this was a verbatim statement she made to me.) I did not feel supported one bit during my exchange with this woman. She also needs a class in victim advocacy ASAP. She made me feel not only incompetent because of not being able to compress my files to a lower capacity, but simultaneously very stupid because she could do things I couldn’t to get the process going. When I became frustrated because all 11 of my documents wouldn’t be uploaded, She stated “well you can always just do it yourself “ which what are you here for then if you aren’t going to help me!? I really hope no other victims have to deal with this woman and she is removed from this office ASAP. She was of no assistance and actually made me feel even more terrible than I already did before.

Safe Embrace is an incredible local organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. Even if you don't utilize them, their website offers clear, helpful information and easy access to essential services, making it a vital resource for anyone seeking help. They make a real difference in helping individuals rebuild their lives!