Story by: Julia Nguyen
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — A Georgia woman was reunited with her family with the help of the Ventura County Family Justice Center and Camarillo Police’s Project Hope after suffering from an abusive relationship.
On January 26, she was found battered by her boyfriend in the unincorporated area of Ventura County.
Deputies and Major Crimes detectives investigated the incident and arrested the victim’s boyfriend for domestic violence.
The abuser was booked at the Main Jail in Ventura.
In their investigation, detectives learned that the woman was from Georgia and came to California with her boyfriend to find work. They were not able to find any work and were living in their car.
The woman says she tried to leave the relationship but had no money, no phone and no way to return back home to Georgia.
The officer that responded to the scene contacted the deputy that runs Project Hope at the Camarillo Police Department. Project Hope is a program that addresses homelessness in the community and helps connect people to local services.
The deputy was able to help connect the officer with the Ventura County Family Justice Center District Attorney Victim Advocates to help assist the woman.
They were able to get her in contact with her mother in Georgia and got her a hotel room for the night along with a cell phone and a bus ticket back to Georgia.
On January 27, the deputies drove the victim to the bus stop in Oxnard where she boarded the bus to return back to Georgia.
On January 29, the woman arrived back to Georgia and reunited with her family.
Deputies say she called recently to thank them and the advocates for being so “compassionate and helpful”.
Anyone that is a victim of a violent crime is encouraged to contact the Ventura County Family Justice Center. The County says they are a good resource for victims and can help connect people to resources and services to assist them in their situation. They are located at 3170 Loma Vista Road in Ventura.
Anyone that would like to reach them can call them at 805-652-7655, text at 805-947-7981 or email at vcfjc.coop@ventura.org.