You have likely heard the question or perhaps even asked it yourself - why doesn’t she just leave? But when a woman is in an abusive relationship her options of leaving can be challenging and often put her at higher risk for violence and possible lethality. And besides, where would she go? Many believe that a shelter is the go-to option for getting to safety and support. But that is not always the case. Today Jordyn Lawson, Chief Residential Officer at Genesis helps us address the question of how can we effectively utilize and refer victims of domestic violence to shelter services? In this episode we review the history of the shelter movement for victims of domestic violence, when shelter is the best option for a victim, and other opportunities and resources such as safety planning, legal services, advocacy and other services that might better support women escaping an abusive partner.