TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Domestic violence affects thousands in our area every year.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported 1,953 offenses in Leon County alone in 2015, which is a 14 percent hike from the year before.
From July 2015 to June 2016, the Tallahassee-based organization Refuge House responded to more than 3,000 calls in Leon County about domestic violence and 400 calls about sexual assault through its help hotline.
It's often difficult for those who've been abused to seek help, and even tougher to publicly share their experience with others.
But one woman is now speaking up after escaping an abusive relationship that lasted for several years and she said she hoped her story would encourage others to get help.
Loree Weeks is a survivor, but there's a story behind that smile, one of taking action after years of pain.
"It got to the point where it was going to be fatal, and so I ran."
Weeks was in a relationship for six years with a man she loved, but said the abuse slowly built up. The abuse sent her to hospital several times. But the pain wasn't just physical.
"It starts with a poke...and then a push...and then a pull of the hair," Weeks said. "You sort of have panic attacks and stuff like that, heavy anxiety."
She finally took a stand and headed to Refuge House, where she stayed for two and a half years. That's where she heard about Ability First.
Holly Bernardo, an assistant director at Ability 1st said, "Sometimes, that means providing counseling and support for somebody. Sometimes, that means helping somebody find a job."
Ability 1st has helped Weeks through its Victims of Crime Advocacy program. The group said women with disabilities are twice as likely to be domestically abused.
"They have just taken me in, literally, taken me in as a person -- not as a disabled person, but a person," Weeks said.
Weeks said the man who abused her is now in prison facing a life sentence.
As for Ability 1st, the need for funding this kind of support is great.
To help, this Saturday they're holding a comedy fundraiser to support the program Weeks has been a part of. Find out more about the comedy fundraiser here.
