Safi’s Story

At Mosaic, we understand the strength it takes for a survivor to leave for good because we see it first hand every day. Unfortunately, sometimes survivors return to their abuser and later come back to Mosaic House.

That’s what happened to Safi, a former Mosaic House resident. She first came to Mosaic House in 2018, and after staying for a few months, she returned to her husband before coming back to the shelter in early 2021.

Safi grew up in Afghanistan and suffered oppression under the Taliban. She was not allowed to have an education and suffered many hardships as a young girl. Her husband secured a job in the United States and was later able to bring Safi, their two children and her brother over as well.

In 2018, Safi came to Mosaic House for the first time. She was pregnant at the time and didn’t speak English very well. She arrived at the shelter with her two young children and was in a lot of physical pain. The shelter staff immediately took her to Parkland Hospital where she found out she was miscarrying her baby because of the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her husband. She was truly afraid for her life and believed her family would kill her if they found out she had left him. 

Safi’s brother also lives in DFW and managed to persuade her to bring her children to stay with him and they would be safe. He was lying. He was angry that she left her husband in the first place, so when he picked her up from Mosaic House, he immediately took her and her children back to her husband.

Once Safi was back at her husband’s home, the abuse became much worse. Her husband was threatening not only Safi’s life, but also their children’s lives. She was petrified and knew his threats were real.

After suffering his abuse for nearly two years, she had the opportunity to escape. She called Mosaic on a Sunday evening in January 2021, and our shelter director, Nancy, drove to pick her up immediately and took her to Mosaic House.

When Safi arrived at Mosaic House, the shelter staff could see the agony in her face, the pain in her eyes and the fear in her voice. This time, she truly wanted to change her life, divorce her husband and start over with her children. Safi was a completely different client this time around; she was still fearful of her husband, but was tired of the abuse and living in constant fear. 

After Safi secured full-time employment, she purchased a car and found long-term, affordable housing. Safi moved out of Mosaic House in July 2021 and even though she was excited to be on her own, she was very emotional about leaving after growing close to Mosaic’s staff and other residents.

“The day she moved out of the shelter, I will never forget how much she cried and told me that we saved her life. She is the very reason that I will go that extra mile for someone who is desperately trying to escape abuse. It is clients such as her that keep me motivated and at the end of the day, I know I was part of changing someone’s life.” – Nancy Rocha, Mosaic House Director

With the help of Mosaic’s Family Law attorney, Sasha, Safi received a protective order from her husband and has reclaimed her life.

Give to Mosaic in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month to support survivors like Safi.

Mosaic’s Multicultural Family Violence Program assists all survivors of family violence and other crimes through education, support services and community resources to increase safety and self-sufficiency. To receive assistance, contact our 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at (214) 823-4434 or our main office at (214) 821-5393. If you need immediate help, please contact 911.