First Lt. Marie Louis-Jean, left, executive officer of A Battery, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, and Rosa Cabrera, director of Dame la Mano, discuss the organization’s mission of helping homeless women in crisis during a Friday visit. Photo by Sgt. Jonathan Montgomery.
El Paso Relief Center provides hope to abused women
Sgt. Jonathan Montgomery, 11th ADA Public Affairs
After 20 years of marriage, Blanca Villarreal was left to roam the streets with nothing. “Just my babies and my luck,” she said. Her husband, who had a history of domestic violence, chose to abandon his family without remorse, leaving them penniless with nowhere to go.
“I wanted revenge,” said Blanca, a mother of three. “I had a lot of anger in me. It’s very sad (what happened). I never thought I’d be in this situation.”
In order to alleviate her hardship, Blanca moved in with her brother, who lived in Reno, Nev. But when he relocated to Mexico, she and her children were again left to a life on the street.
Immigration services eventually became involved, offering to refer the Grass Valley, Calif., native to an El Paso relief center for abused women called Dame la Mano.
Since arriving at the community outreach establishment four months ago, Blanca has since focused her efforts on landing a job in daycare, getting her own place, and starting a new life.
“They opened their doors for me,” she said. “They help a lot of women. I’m grateful for that.”
Dame la Mano – Spanish for “Give Me Your Hand” – remains a nonprofit organization funded by local businesses, churches of all denominations and private individuals.
Formed in 1997 as means to help homeless women, the organization has since provided support to more than 15,000 women and their children in the community. On average, they assist 1,600 women each year arriving from New York to Guatemala.
“We took (Blanca) in because we believed in her,” said Rosa Cabrera, director of Dame la Mano, whose organization’s domestic violence counseling and career planning assistance has put Blanca on the path toward self-sufficiency, independence and a set of work skills necessary to prevent homelessness.
Oftentimes, the relief center receives women, including military veterans, suffering from bad situations stemming from broken homes, post-traumatic stress disorder, prostitution, drugs and domestic battery.
In the past, local police, hospitals and immigration services have released custody of these women to Dame la Mano so they can get help for these types of troubles.
The 14 women and 35 children who currently reside at Dame la Mano are going to school and working to learn a new skill. Each resident is required to work, go to school or do volunteer work for 20 hours per week.
The organization also provides emergency shelter, medical care and baby items to expectant mothers, along with free pregnancy tests.
“This (place) keeps you grounded,” said 1st Sgt. Jonathan Cruz, first sergeant of A Battery, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, which is an upcoming unit with a scheduled activation ceremony next month. “It makes you thankful for what you have instead of being mad and jealous of what you don’t have.”
Cruz, along with 1st Lt. Marie Louis-Jean, 4th THAAD executive officer, delivered paint buckets and cleaning supplies to Dame la Mano Friday during a visit to the women’s relief center.
“They operate on the kindness of the community,” said Louis-Jean. “The women receive counseling to figure out how to place their self in a better position so they don’t repeat history.”