When Jennipher Van Maldeghem decided to leave her abusive husband, she needed a plan.
Family Tree, a Jefferson County nonprofit that focuses on homelessness, especially for domestic violence survivors, was there to help her get organized and ready to go.
The counselors advised her to gather all important documents, such as Social Security cards and birth certificates for her children, to turn off the location finder on her phone, and to prepare a “go bag.” They helped her obtain a protection order from the courts.
When the time was right, Van Maldeghem, who was about to give birth to her fourth child, left the house with her other three children. The first place they chose to stay didn’t work out. So she and the children moved into a shelter run by Family Tree.
“The hardest part, the reality of it was, ‘Oh my God, I’m homeless,’” Van Madleghem said about leaving her husband more than a decade ago. “It was a really hard realization that I was homeless with my four kids, and now what am I going to do?
“I was trusting myself for the first time. I got to prove to myself that I was capable.”
Van Maldeghem now serves on Family Tree’s board of directors and shares her story with others in hopes that they, too, find a way to leave and start a better life.
Family Tree was founded when social workers and others realized the connection between domestic violence and homelessness. Since its founding, the nonprofit’s work has spread to seven counties in metro Denver, said Robert Ham, Family Tree’s executive director.
The agency works with families to prevent and overcome domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness. It runs a domestic violence shelter for people fleeing abusive relationships, and on Oct. 10, it celebrated the opening of an 85-unit apartment complex in Arvada. The nonprofit also provides legal advocacy and helps people create safety plans like the one Van Maldeghem used to escape.
“It’s such important and great work,” Ham said. “The leading cause of women on the street is women leaving domestic violence situations. Our sweet spot is focusing on the connections between those issues.”
Van Madleghem said she grew up in a home with an abusive father. It was the only life she knew.
“I never understood it was wrong,” she said.
She found Family Tree through a counselor at her children’s school, and the staff provided the support she needed to change the cycle.
“Family Tree became the family I never had,” Van Madelghem said. “They helped me understand what love was and what domestic violence was.”
Within 30 days of moving into the shelter, Van Madelghem found a job and was able to move her family into an apartment.
Today, she works full-time, is married to a peaceful husband, and two of her four children are living on their own with stable, productive lives. The two youngest still live with her and are thriving, she said.
“I live the life that I’ve always dreamed of — that I could get up and be safe.”
Family Tree
Address: 3805 Marshall St., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
In operation since: 1976
Number of employees: 82 full-time and 14 part-time
Annual budget: $10 million
Number of clients served: 6,465
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