Today we’d like to introduce you to Myra Rasnick.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I majored in Psychology with a concentration in Women’s Studies. There, I learned about the great epidemic of violence against women in our society. I started volunteering at a rape crisis center, where I was later employed. In my work at the rape crisis center I learned that I thrived in crisis situations and that the ability to be flexible came naturally to me. I loved helping people, especially vulnerable populations. When I moved to Georgia I worked at a sexual assault and children’s advocacy center for four years where I supervised the 24-hour crisis line and on site medical exams, and performed forensic interviews for children who had been physically or sexually abused. There, I learned from a colleague about Ahimsa House; an organization that addresses the connection between domestic violence and animal cruelty. Being an animal lover and having a four-legged child (a gorgeous golden retriever) of my own, I was immediately intrigued. When a position opened at Ahimsa House for a project coordinator, I applied and was hired in the spring of 2007. One service that Ahimsa House provides is temporary care for pets while their owners seek safety for themselves at a shelter or with friends or family where they are unable to take their pet. We reunite survivors with their pets when safe, pet friendly housing is established. At the time Ahimsa House was moving from a shelter type program with a physical location that housed pets for clients in our program, to a decentralized model in which we provide care for pets utilizing a network of foster homes, boarding facilities and veterinary offices. In addition to running the 24-hour crisis line and providing direct services to victims of domestic violence, I was tasked with creating this network, which I am proud to say today, covers all regions of Georgia. I accepted the position of Executive Director with Ahimsa House in 2014. Though, I moved away from providing direct services, which I was so passionate about, I am now married with two young daughters, so my life is not as flexible as it once was and I am now in a position to better the organization in other ways and help more victims of intimate partner violence indirectly. When I first started in 2007, I was the only employee (part time at that) and today we have five full time staff members. Thanks to our outreach efforts, requests for our services continue to increase. Last year we helped 137 humans escape violence with their 255 pets and in the first quarter of 2017 are on course to increase those numbers by 50%.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not always been smooth. It is not easy to work in the human services field. Self-care is extremely important to ensure that you are being effective in your work and that you do not burn out, which is problem for advocates in our field. I feel that my own experience providing direct services helps me to supervise our staff because I have been in their position and I am able to recognize when someone is in need of a mental health day or even just an ear to listen.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ahimsa House story. Tell us more about the business.
As I mentioned, Ahimsa House is a non-profit organization that addresses the connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence. 72% of victims of domestic violence report that their abusers threatened, harmed or killed a family pet. In addition, half of victims report that they delayed seeking safety for themselves out of concern for a beloved pet. Ahimsa House removes this barrier to safety by providing safe-housing for the pets of victims escaping violence and reuniting them once it is safe to do so. We have a 24-hour crisis line in which we provide safety planning, crisis intervention, assistance with temporary protective orders (and including pets on those), legal advocacy and intake to our program. We also have an outreach program in which we raise awareness of this issue to the community and we train professionals such as domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, animal control, and prosecutors on this link and how to provide for earlier opportunities for intervention. I am most proud of the fact that we are considered a model program of this type in the United States. I provide consultations across the country for organizations wanting to start or expand their services of this type. We are the only organization of our kind that is both statewide and that employees trained domestic violence advocates who provide the full wrap-around services that we offer.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Sometimes I have thought it was luck and that I was in the right place at the right time. For example, after I moved to Atlanta I was unemployed and searching for a job. I missed working at the rape crisis center, so I went to meet with someone at the local sexual assault center about volunteering while I looked for work. It just so happened that an employee was giving their notice in the next room at the same time. I was hired within a week. Now I realize that I made my own luck. If I wasn’t working, I was volunteering, which always led me to employment.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ahimsahouse.org
- Phone: admin line: 404-496-4038
24 hour crisis line: 404-452-6248 - Email: info@ahimsahouse.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ahimsahouse/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ahimsahouse
- Twitter: twitter.com/ahimsahouse
- Other: www.linkedin.com/company/ahimsa-house
Image Credit:
Becky Rentz Photography
Joyelan Photography
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