Lexington, Kentucky (LEX 18)-Greenhouse 17 is dedicated to nurturing survivors of intimate partner abuse through nature-based treatments.

One flower at a time, the garden of Conservatory No. 17 provides an oasis for nurturing intimate partner abuse survivors like Betty.

Betty said: "Just being able to walk outside, in the fresh air, I feel like no one can find me." "Every day I can wake up here makes me feel better and more confident. It gives me More power."

Lexington’s 40-acre farm allows residents to cultivate land, grow food crops and make beauty products.

Executive Director Darlene Thomas said: “They came, lived in the shelter for a while, reconsidered their future, and made plans for themselves and their children.” “We were able to use our gardens and Flowers and our body products serve as a way for survivors to reconnect with their stories, connect with other stories, and connect with the community," Thomas said.

In addition to transitional housing units, support and advocacy services, Thomas said they receive an average of 17-20 crisis calls per day. The pandemic only escalated this number.

"It’s been more than 33 years for me to do this work. The violence has escalated; it’s not that it’s not always bad, but the right incident requires heavier and more stifling, you know, attempts to use weapons ," Thomas explained.

According to the National League Against Domestic Violence, Kentucky has the highest domestic violence statistics. 45.3% of women and 35.5% of men have experienced domestic violence.

One day in 2019, the Kentucky Domestic Violence Program served 1,420 adult and child survivors, while another 128 requests were not met due to lack of resources.

Although concerned about the awareness of domestic violence, Thomas hopes that the community will spend time supporting, advocating and listening to the victims.

"It must be addressed from the perspective of the entire community; it cannot be just a domestic violence project. It does require the entire village or community," Thomas said. Lalla O'Bryan, vice president of victim services at Appriss Safety, said that this is also an important time for survivors to learn about other resources, such as the victim notification service VINE. Survivors can track the imprisonment status of the abuser.

O'Bryan said: "There are still people who need to know about the existence of this service. Not everyone is expected to be harmed by someone. The more people who know about this service, among all other services available." They are at ease. This gives him control. This is life-saving."

If you are a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and/or sexual assault, please contact one of the following agencies.

If you are in urgent danger, please call 911 immediately.