Our Mission

The mission of The Hiding Place is simple: to create safe spaces where survivors of domestic violence can heal, rebuild, and thrive.

We are committed to walking alongside women and children as they move from crisis to confidence, providing compassionate advocacy, trauma-informed support, and practical resources every step of the way. We believe that healing begins when survivors are seen, believed, and supported within a community that refuses to let them walk alone.

At The Hiding Place, we don't believe in rescuing survivors—we believe in empowering them. Our role is to provide the safety, encouragement, and tools they need to rediscover their strength and build a future free from abuse.

Creating Safe Spaces. Restoring Hope. Transforming Lives.

  • The Hiding Place was founded in 2021 and officially launched services in 2023 by Upstate South Carolina residents Breann Griffin and Jennifer Looper.

    The vision for The Hiding Place was born from lived experience. After fleeing domestic violence, Breann discovered firsthand how difficult it was to find the support, resources, and community needed to truly rebuild a life. While emergency services existed, there was a significant gap in long-term, trauma-informed care and ongoing support for survivors in Pickens County.

    Rather than allowing that experience to define her, she allowed it to shape a solution.

    Together, Breann and Jennifer created The Hiding Place to provide the kind of support they believed every survivor deserves—a place where women are met with compassion instead of judgment, community instead of isolation, and hope instead of fear.

    Today, every program, support group, advocacy service, and housing initiative has been intentionally developed to meet the real needs survivors face as they rebuild their lives.

  • Domestic violence impacts every aspect of a survivor's life. Escaping abuse is only the beginning of the journey.

    Survivors often face overwhelming barriers, including housing insecurity, financial hardship, trauma, legal challenges, parenting concerns, employment obstacles, and the emotional impact of rebuilding after abuse.

    Without access to continued support, many survivors remain trapped in dangerous situations or return to abusive environments simply because they have nowhere else to turn.

    The Hiding Place exists to change that reality.

    Through compassionate advocacy, safe housing, education, and community, we help survivors move beyond surviving and begin building lives marked by safety, stability, and hope

  • Since opening our doors, The Hiding Place has responded to more than 1,000 hotline calls and served more than 800 survivors and their families throughout the Upstate of South Carolina.

    While we are grateful for these numbers, they do not define our success.

    Behind every phone call is a woman searching for safety.

    Behind every family served is a story of courage, resilience, and hope.

    Our greatest measure of success is seeing survivors rediscover their strength, achieve stability, and begin believing in their future again.

  • The Hiding Place provides comprehensive, trauma-informed services designed to support survivors at every stage of their healing journey.

    Our services include:

    • 24/7 Crisis Hotline & Text Line

    • Trauma-Informed Advocacy

    • Emergency Safety Planning

    • Chrysalis Housing Transitional Housing Program

    • Individual Support & Resource Navigation

    • In-Person & Virtual Support Groups

    • Community Education & Prevention

    • Financial Empowerment & Life Skills

    • Referrals & Community Partnerships

    Every service we provide is built around one belief:

    Survivors deserve more than safety—they deserve the opportunity to heal, rebuild, and thrive.

  • At The Hiding Place, we promise to meet survivors with compassion, walk alongside them without judgment, and create spaces where healing is possible. Whether someone reaches out through a hotline call, attends a support group, moves into Chrysalis Housing, or simply needs someone to listen, our commitment remains the same:

    To provide safe spaces where survivors are believed, supported, and empowered to build lives free from abuse.

    I think this version tells your story more powerfully while focusing less on the organization itself and more on the survivors you exist to serve. It also transitions naturally into the rest of your website, where visitors can explore your programs and ways to get involved.

  • CALL THE HOTLINE

    How We Can Help

    When you contact The Hiding Place, you'll be connected with a trained advocate who will listen without judgment and help you explore your options based on your unique situation.

    Our advocates can provide:

    • Crisis intervention and emotional support

    • Personalized safety planning

    • Information about domestic violence and healthy relationships

    • Emergency resource navigation

    • Referrals to shelters and community partners

    • Assistance connecting with legal, medical, and counseling resources

    • Information about Chrysalis Housing and other Hiding Place programs

    • Ongoing advocacy and follow-up support when appropriate

    Every conversation is survivor-centered, confidential within legal limits, and focused on empowering you to make the decisions that are best for you and your family.

    You Don't Have to Be Ready to Leave

    Many survivors believe they have to be ready to leave before reaching out for help.

    That isn't true.

    You can contact us if you:

    • Are unsure whether your relationship is abusive.

    • Need someone to listen.

    • Want help creating a safety plan.

    • Have already left and need support.

    • Need resources for yourself or your children.

    • Are helping a friend or family member experiencing abuse.

    • Simply need a safe place to ask questions.

    No matter where you are in your journey, we are here to walk alongside you.

    Our Approach

    At The Hiding Place, we believe survivors are the experts of their own lives.

    Our advocates will never pressure you to make a decision before you are ready. Instead, we provide information, encouragement, and support so you can make informed choices that prioritize your safety and wellbeing.

    Our role is not to tell you what to do.

    Our role is to walk beside you with compassion, respect, and hope.

    Confidentiality

    Your privacy matters.

    All conversations with our advocates are handled with care and confidentiality to the fullest extent permitted by law. If there are circumstances in which we are legally required to report information—such as suspected child abuse or an immediate threat of serious harm—our advocates will explain those limitations whenever possible.

    If You Are in Immediate Danger

    If you believe you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 immediately.

    If it is not safe to make a phone call, consider texting our Crisis Text Line or using another safe method to reach out when you are able.

    If your internet or phone activity may be monitored by an abusive partner, remember to clear your browser history, use a private browsing window when possible, or access our website from a trusted device.

    Every Call Matters

    Whether this is your first time asking for help or you've reached out before, you will be met with compassion, dignity, and respect.

    You deserve to be safe.

    You deserve to be believed.

    You deserve hope.

    And you never have to face this journey alone.

The Inspiration Behind Our Name

The Hiding Place takes its name from the extraordinary true story of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian woman whose family courageously risked their lives to shelter Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Inside their home, the ten Boom family built a small hidden room—a "hiding place"—where those fleeing persecution could find refuge, safety, and hope. Although Corrie and her family were eventually arrested for their actions, her unwavering faith, courage, and compassion became a lasting testimony to the power of choosing love over fear.

Corrie's story reminds us that a hiding place is more than a physical location. It is a place where people are protected, valued, and reminded that they are not alone.

That same belief is the foundation of The Hiding Place.

While our mission is different, our heart is the same: to create safe spaces where individuals facing danger can find refuge, support, and the opportunity to begin again.

For survivors of domestic violence, a hiding place is not about remaining hidden forever. It is about finding a place of safety long enough to heal, regain strength, and move forward into a life marked by freedom and hope.

A Legacy of Courage

The legacy of Corrie ten Boom continues to inspire everything we do. Her life reminds us that one act of compassion can change the course of another person's story.

At The Hiding Place, we strive to honor that legacy by creating places where survivors are:

  • Safe and protected.

  • Believed without judgment.

  • Treated with dignity and compassion.

  • Equipped with practical tools for healing.

  • Encouraged toward lasting independence.

Our hope is that every woman and child who comes through our doors experiences what Corrie ten Boom believed so deeply—that even in life's darkest moments, there is still hope.