Survivors of Domestic Violence Get Back On Their Feet With Financial Counseling

Turning the Corner, a non-profit organization dedicated to the recovery of abused women has completed a successful rollout of its holistic workshop on personal financial management for survivors of domestic violence.

Turning the Corner, unlike traditional workshops on budgeting and financial management, directly addresses battered women's fears of money - fears that can be crippling and acute, and that can often block the path to financial stability and good financial health. Along with practical tools to help make money management accessible and fun, Turning the Corner provides women with education, insights and understandings to help them acknowledge and cope with their fears of managing their own money.

Turning the Corner's cofounders, Jo-Ann Craner and Nancy Salamone are both survivors of domestic abuse. They developed Turning the Corner to make a positive impact on other women's lives. Domestic violence is a widespread problem throughout the United States. Nationwide, conservative estimates indicate three to four million women are battered every year and it affects all socio-economic groups.

"We believe that if survivors are able to achieve financial health, they are less likely to return to abusive situations and partners," said Ms. Salamone, a member of the New York City Domestic Violence Council.

Craner and Salamone decided to offer Turning the Corner workshops to women's shelters because they were surprised by the fact that so many survivors eventually return to their abusive partners. Most frequently, the reason is financial. Most survivors are financially dependent on their partners and their abusers often retain tight control over family finances - even if they are not earning money themselves. Rarely is a battered woman accustomed to managing her own money.

By fostering the feeling of control, Turning the Corner's objective is to help reduce the number of women who return to violent partners out of financial necessity. "Our goal is nothing less than to break the cycle of domestic abuse," said Jo-Ann Craner, Ms. Salamone's partner and cofounder of Turning the Corner.

Turning the Corner is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women survivors of domestic violence move their lives forward constructively through exercises in healthy self-esteem and by providing the tools to attain financial health and independence.