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player ready...To help other women who are facing a situation she once faced herself, Plainfield mother of two Stephanie Austin formed her own nonprofit, Rise from the Ashes, to help other women financially dissolve their marriage.
Austin had been attempting to leave her marriage for years, but she said, “I couldn’t find a financial way to do it.”
Not able to afford an attorney and without family support, the marriage lingered on until attorney Michael A. Biederstadt agreed to help Austin obtain a divorce at no cost.
“We stepped back and wondered why there aren’t any services like this for women,” she added. “We have these amazing domestic violence shelters, but in a legal sense all they can assist women with is obtaining an order of protection.”
Coming out of the shelters these women are still married, don’t have custody of their kids, and often are attached to a mortgage, Austin said.
“They can’t apply for government benefits, because they are tied to their abuser’s income,” Austin said.
So many times, without legal assistance these women just go back to their marriage, she added.
“Men who are abusers in marriage often control the couple’s finances and are more likely to fight for custody of their children than non-abusive men. Many of these cases take longer than other divorce cases,” she added.
Last year, Austin, Biederstadt, and Dr. Greg Oswald agreed to form Rise from the Ashes.
“The more people we talked to about the organization, more were willing to come on board,” Austin said. “We started Rise From The Ashes so women would have legal representation and to fill the gap and supplement services provided by government agencies.”
Working with local domestic violence shelters in DuPage, Kendall, Kane, and Will County and other neighboring agencies, Rise from the Ashes takes on clients who meet the following criteria:
* Women who are living below the poverty line
* Taking an active role in rebuilding their lives
* Leaving a physically or sexually abusive marriage.
These clients are matched at no cost with a family law attorney, a counselor, and a court companion.
“There is such a great need for assistance in terms of mental health for women who are experiencing domestic violence especially in terms of supportive counseling,” Oswald, a Plainfield-based clinical psychologist, said.
The court companion’s sole job is to accompany her to court to provide emotional support.
To provide these services to each client, Austin estimates the cost to be about $20,000.
In addition, Rise from the Ashes also offers legal clinic nights at local shelters.
The group was a recent recipient of $7,200 from 100 Women Who Care Fox Valley — a group that meets four times a year to vote on a local nonprofit to which they will donate money.
For more information on Rise from the Ashes, email [email protected]
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or go to http://rfta.co.Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News