According to the National Domestic Abuse hotline, it takes the average victim of domestic abuse seven instances of leaving their partner before exiting the relationship for good. As the abuser senses that they’re losing power, they will often act in dangerous ways to regain control over their victim. In many cases, victims of domestic abuse do not have the financial means to exit the abusive situation, subjecting them and their children to potential danger. That’s why the work that a Southern California moving company is doing has been a godsend to countless women.
Meathead Movers has a company policy that it doesn’t accept payment from people fleeing violent domestic situations. “To our unfortunate surprise, during the first two or three years running the company, I’d be the one who would pick up the calls,” the company’s owner, Aaron Steed, said to the Los Angeles Times. “I’d periodically get calls from someone—usually a woman—fleeing an abusive relationship. There were a lot of intense moments and crying. I remember the conversations pretty vividly and feeling a tremendous amount of panic and sadness. As the jobs went on, we realized we were potentially saving lives.”
In order to handle the moves with the utmost care and safety, Meathead Movers partners with local shelters that provide training. “Whenever we get a panicked phone call, we tell them to call the local domestic violence shelter and tell them of their process,” said Brandon Miller, an employee at Meathead Movers’ Santa Ana office.
Kathleen Buczko, the executive director of the Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, has been working with Meathead Movers for over a year and believes that their work is incredible. “From an emergency perspective, having the opportunity to move your stuff out and put it in a protected place affords the opportunity for individuals to get into a safe situation quicker,” said Buczko.
Steed believes that the work his company is doing is great not just for victims of domestic abuse, but for his employees as well. “As I get older, I can’t help but really value and appreciate more and more the tone this sets for my employees who are involved in actually moving these victims,” Steed said. “I can’t help but think and hope that it changes their perception of themselves and their ability to have a major impact to do something that can really help someone in need.”
(H/T Los Angeles Times)
