MARY KOENIG + ASHLEIGH STARNES | February 28, 2019
The recent renovations to the Safe Families Office are more than just an upgrade: they’re a way to create a healing environment for survivors facing the unimaginable.
When we walk into an unfamiliar room, we draw instantaneous conclusions about our environment. Is it safe? Is it hostile? How do I navigate the space before me?
The cool-colored walls of hospitals, the potted plants in a waiting room: every detail of our environment influences how we feel about our surroundings.
So when a survivor comes into the Fulton County Courthouse seeking refuge from their abuser, what is it that they see? How does their environment impact their sense of safety?
Survivors looking for the Safe Families Office are often nervous and intimidated when they enter the building.
The Courthouse isn’t the easiest place to navigate. The maze of hallways and busy courtrooms can be overwhelming to anyone who first enters.
Because of both their circumstances and the unfamiliar surroundings, survivors looking for the Safe Families Office are often nervous and intimidated when they enter the building. But recent renovations to the Safe Families Office have made our clinic a space of healing.
Survivors can now walk into the Safe Families Office and feel exactly that—safe.
When you walk into the SFO today, the room is calm and quiet. The walls are decorated with soothing artwork, and gentle classical music plays in the background.
Survivors can now walk into the Safe Families Office and feel exactly that—safe.
These renovations are important not just because it makes the space more physically comfortable for our clients, but also because things like art, aromatherapy, and soft music communicate that people in that space deserve that comfort. All survivors deserve to be somewhere calming as they navigate extremely sensitive, painful, and often life-threatening situations.
Survivors deserve to feel safe.
It can be extremely difficult to tell the story of your experience with violence. We hope the Safe Families Office communicates hope—assuring survivors that we are here to stand with them, no matter what it takes.
Learn how the Safe Families Office changes the lives of survivors.
Mary Koenig
Social Worker, Safe Families Office
Mary is a social worker in the Safe Families Office, connecting survivors of intimate partner violence with resources and support after they obtain a temporary protective order.
Before moving to Atlanta and joining AVLF, Mary graduated with a Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina. She is dedicated to working against gender-based violence and supporting survivors, and has worked in violence prevention education, program planning and evaluation, and hotline advocacy. In her spare time, she bakes pies and plays drums.
Ashleigh Starnes
Communications Associate
As AVLF’s Communications Associate, Ashleigh helps Lauren Frazier with website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our fiercely compassionate supporters. Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our clients, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.
Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.
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