2025: A Powerful Reminder of What We Can Do Together

A Word From Mark

Dear Friends,

2025 reminded us why our work matters.

Even with deep funding cuts and shifting federal policies that placed survivors at greater risk, our community showed up. Every gift, every volunteer hour, and every encouraging message helped create moments of safety, dignity, and healing.

In FY 24–25, your generosity helped us:

Provide 7,077 bed-nights of safety to 248 survivors, their families, and 12 pets
Engage 253 volunteers with 1,722 hours of service, providing an in-kind value of $69,118
Deliver 271 counseling sessions, totaling 1,103 hours of mental health care for adults and children
Support 151 clients with legal advocacy and 44 clients with immigration advocacy
Educate 1,332 community members, teach 579 survivors, train 154 professionals, and supervise 238 court-ordered visitations free of charge

Each number reflects a person breathing easier, a family finding stability, or a survivor gaining confidence to take their next step. Despite all we accomplished together, we must do more with fewer resources. Survivors are still told their safety is negotiable. We know it is not.

That is why we must raise $50,000 before December 31.

Your gift sustains shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and prevention programs. It tells each survivor: You matter. You deserve safety. You are not alone.

We invite you to make an end-of-year gift. Together, we can ensure every survivor who reaches out finds hope, support, and a path forward.

The next survivor is counting on us. We are counting on you.

In Gratitude,

Mark

Make an End-of-Year Gift

Read More From Mark

A Fresh Start for Joanne and Brando

When Joanne and her dog, Brando, first connected with Radiant Futures, she was determined to create a life free from abuse.

After years trapped in a harmful relationship, she arrived back in California alone, carrying little more than her courage and a fragile vision of a better future. Through friends, she heard about Radiant Futures and seized the chance for a fresh start. From the moment she stepped into Emergency Shelter, with her Brando at her side, she began reclaiming her life, this time on her own terms. Within a week she found a job and secured food assistance, proof of her fierce commitment to stability. She worked tirelessly, saving every dollar she could, and soon added a second job to accelerate the life she was determined to build.

But finding a place to call home proved to be a battle of its own. Each lead seemed to slip through her fingers, too expensive, too competitive, too uncertain, or refusing tenants with pets. Then, unexpectedly, a door opened. A landlord agreed to learn about Radiant Futures and its long-term housing program, listening with genuine interest. With a co-signer standing beside her, Joanne was finally approved for an apartment, a quiet, sun-lit space where she and Brando, her beloved rescue dog, could breathe freely again, the first real exhale of their new beginning.

Follow Joanne & Brando's Story

Supporting the Safety and Strength of Elder Adults in Our Community

Maria is an elder adult experiencing domestic violence, a reality that affects far more elder adults than many people realize. When the situation in her home became increasingly emotionally and psychologically abusive, she reached out to the Radiant Futures’ Helpline looking for safety and support for both herself and her daughter.

Maria connected with our Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Program, where she shared her interest in counseling and the Personal Empowerment Program. She is now on the counseling waitlist, and her Specialist continues to be by her side as she considers her next steps, including legal advocacy when she feels ready to pursue a restraining order.