Empowering Survivors Through Community innovation and economic security
Shirley Human is a passionate, grassroots coalition of expert survivors dedicated to healing and transforming how we respond to gender-based and domestic violence in Northeast Georgia.
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support, education, and advocacy that focuses on economic empowerment to individuals facing financial insecurity due to abusive relationships.
By fostering community accountability and financial support programs, survivors can create long term safety and dismantle the barriers that keep us trapped in cycles of violence.
understanding the impact OF economic abuse
Financial insecurity is the single biggest barrier that survivors encounter when attempting to escape abusive situations in both the short and long term.
99 % of us face some form of economic abuse from our harm-doers. This intrinsically limits our access to resources and independence.
The formal survivor support networks available here, while crucial and truly dedicated to survivors, are limited to mostly short term, crisis interventions.
These supports are simply not enough for survivors to get away from their abusers and begin to heal.
HOW?
We operate as a team of survivor ENTREPRENEURS, a resource hub, and a think tank formed to receive, share, and prom0te knowledge surrounding financial security, community support, and alternative pathways to safety.
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Shirley Human’s social enterprise functions through survivors supporting survivors where we employ, train, and professionally support one another to create and sell unique fashion and interior goods.
From our online shop (coming soon!) you can buy products created and sold exclusively by survivors.
100% of the profits from our sales are fully reinvested back into the hands of our survivor team. Our goal with this enterprise is to provide a safe, informed, sustainable employment model that empowers each person to achieve financial growth and stability.
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Dynamic Resources and Innovative Solutions for Survivors
Our Resource Hub is a vibrant sanctuary for survivors and community allies to connect, collaborate, and cultivate knowledge. We offer both online and physical spaces where individuals can access vital resources, form mutual aid groups, and participate in wealth-building forums. Our evidence-based models ensure that our programs are effective and responsive to the unique needs of our community. Together, we can break the chains of economic abuse and empower each other.
We have two different resource banks, one for community action and the second for survivor services.
Call to Action: Access Our Resources
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At SH, we recognize that informed advocacy stems from rigorous research. Our commitment to understanding the nuances of gender-based and domestic violence drives our initiatives.
Our Inaugural, 2024 Annual Report: (Est. Publishing: March 2025)
“Northeast Georgia Gender, Intimate Partner, and Domestic Violence Financial Hardship Review”
This report will rely heavily on survivor surveys from Georgia’s Tenth District, Northern Circuit area and is aimed at understanding the short and long term wealth inequities and economic destruction of those harmed by gender, family, sexual and intimate partner violence in our rural communities. Conclusions will include our proposals and local solutions and will be available for public viewing .
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Future Think Tank research will be driven by community engagement and the voices of survivors. Systems based, carceral, or judicial solutions without local insight and testimonies are unhelpful, at best, and lethal, at worst. We intend for our in-depth survivor safety and ecosystem reporting to directly inform local systems changes at all levels of violence prevention programming.
Read More about Our Topics for Future Think Tank Research, Reports, and Advocacy
Our Philosophy
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Grounded in Historical approaches to Liberty, Equity Revolutions and Community Wisdom
Our work is deeply rooted in philosophies that prioritize reparations, equity, and relentless demands for community accountability. We draw inspiration from indigenous models of community organizing and values of decolonization. We recognize the importance of honoring diverse histories and experiences. We employ the tools created by historically BIPOC-led movements and advocate for alternatives to traditional systems of justice that often fail survivors. Our commitment to grassroots organizing is unwavering, as we believe that real change emerges from the ground up.
The state of things in Georgia?
49th out of all 50 in state policies affecting survivor financial wellbeing…
Source: The National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map And Scorecard. FreeFrom, May 11, 2021. https://mapandscorecard.freefrom.org. Current as of: December 15, (Freeform.org)
From the brilliant work at Freefrom.org we utilize this tool that outlines the existing laws impacting a survivor’s ability to build and maintain financial security, and provides state-specific policy recommendations that will ensure that all survivors have access to the financial resources and support they need to thrive and live free from abuse.
“We cannot even begin to address economic abuse (which occurs in 99% of intimate partner violence cases) without properly defining it in state laws and policy reform.” (Freeform.org)
Georgia is failing survivors by not including the impacts of economic abuse as the devastating crime it is.
Our work as a THINK TANK means focusing on how to create systems change and alternative pathways to address the lack of support from current state policies.
Contact Us
Let us know if you would like more info about our services, if you want to get involved, or additional programming opportunities.
If you are a survivor, please feel safe sharing below. We are NOT mandatated state reporters. Anything you share will be kept absolutely CONFIDENTIAL.
ATTENTION: We do not provide short term, crisis care. Anyone that needs crisis services can use the national emergency violence hotline available on THIS SITE. Or the Northeast Georgia hotline found HERE.