Why The Hiding Place Is Different — And Why That Matters
The Hiding Place was never created to be like everyone else. It was created to be unique and unlike any other program structure.
The Hiding Place was created because something was missing.
Built by a Survivor — From What Was Missing
The Hiding Place wasn’t created from theory.
It was created from lived experience, a story, my story.
From reaching out for help… and not finding what was actually needed.
What was missing was individualized care.
Not a checklist.
Not a number to call.
Not another waiting list.
Someone to walk alongside me.
Someone to actually see me.
Someone to stay.
My best friend and co-founder and co-director, Jennifer, stood in the gap for me and was my hiding place in the moments when I had no one. From those moments in the deep pit, we walked out together, with a heart and a mission gifted straight from God…
The Hiding Place was born in the darkness to help shine light on the horrors of domestic violence.
We Provide Individualized Care — Not a System to Navigate
At The Hiding Place, survivors are not processed through steps or given a check-list.
Each survivor we serve is known, seen and heard. They are not just a number or a statistic. Our team knows their name and their story.
We don’t believe healing looks the same for everyone. No two journeys are the same, nor should they be forced to fit in the same box. We don’t believe support should feel transactional.
And we don’t believe survivors should have to fight to be seen while they’ve already been fighting to survive for so long.
We walk alongside. We travel the road to healing together, side by side, through the ups, downs and the in betweens.
This means:
Meeting survivors exactly where they are
Adapting support to their real-life situations and based on their individualized needs
Staying present through the ups and downs
Not disappearing once the “service” has been provided
Forming community around survivors, where support is given and received
Healing Is Not a Check-List
Healing is not a check-list.
This is something we hold at the core of everything we do and it shapes the way we operate.
It’s not linear.
It’s not quick.
It doesn’t look the same for every survivor. And it doesn’t end when someone leaves.
This means it doesn’t always look like the “perfect” measurable outcome.
There are layers.
There are setbacks.
There are moments of strength and moments of breaking.
And survivors deserve support through all of it—not just the parts that are easy to measure or seen as a “success” or not.
We Focus on Community That Continues
Many programs are designed to help someone leave abuse.
But what happens after?
At The Hiding Place, we don’t believe support should end at safety.
We focus on building community that continues—long after someone leaves abuse.
Because survivors don’t just need a way out…
They need a place to land.
A place where:
They can come back when things feel hard again
They don’t have to re-explain their story
Shame doesn’t live
They are known, remembered, and supported
Healing can continue in real, honest ways
We don’t close the door when the crisis ends.
We choose to keep showing up.
We Understand the Reality of the Journey
Leaving is not the finish line.
It’s the beginning of a completely new chapter. A chapter that brings about its own set of challenges.
One that can include:
Fear
Court systems
Co-parenting with someone unsafe
Identity loss
Emotional and nervous system healing
And often… doing all of that without consistent support.
We choose to exist in that space—the part no one prepares survivors for.
Being Different Matters
At The Hiding Place, survivors are not reduced to what they’ve been through.
We see:
The woman rebuilding her life
The mother creating stability for her children
The survivor learning to trust herself again
The person not defined by the abuse she’s endured
Being different means we don’t rush people through healing.
We stay.
We adapt.
We build relationships.
We create safe spaces for real, ongoing transformation.
Because what survivors need isn’t more information.
They need connection.
Consistency.
And care that shows up through community.
Survivors deserve more than systems.
More than resources that don’t reach them.
More than being placed on a waiting list while their world is falling apart.
They deserve:
to be seen.
to be supported.
to be walked with.
to belong.
And we will keep building that—
because no survivor should have to search for what they need in the middle of surviving.
Signed: Breann Griffin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of The Hiding Place
💜 You can stand with survivors.
Your support helps provide immediate aid, safe spaces, and healing opportunities for survivors rebuilding their lives. Donate HERE to support our mission.
💜 We are starting a virtual weekly survivor call- Whether you just left or it’s been years, no required location. A weekly call to learn, to connect, to heal. No pressure, no required attendance, a weekly space available virtually for survivors everywhere.
We’re gathering interest now- click HERE to sign up.
