Who We Are | Chris Ministries

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CSM provides holistic support to survivors of domestic violence and homelessness in Montgomery, Alabama, offering counseling, advocacy, and empowerment rooted in faith to foster healing and stability. Through compassionate outreach and faith-based initiatives, CSM guides individuals toward reclaiming hope, strength, and security, transforming lives impacted by adversity.

Recognize the Signs of Domestic Violence

Physical Violence: Including, but not limited to punching, strangling, kicking, hitting, throwing objects, burning, and stabbing.

Emotional Abuse: Name-calling, racial slurs, humiliation, belittling, isolation, stalking, jealousy, and denying abuse.

Sexual Abuse: Any unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity.

Financial & Social Abuse: Controlling access to health care, medication, work, family, friends, finances, or transportation.

Other Forms of Abuse: Using children or pets as leverage, threatening to 'out' LGBTQ+ status, destroying personal belongings, or threatening eviction.

Violence Statistics

1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.

Nearly 40% of survivors of domestic violence will experience homelessness due to the abuse.

The CDC estimated about 8.7% of Alabama women — roughly 166,000 people — to be victims of intimate partner violence each year

Early Warning Signs

If you were to ask a survivor to describe the early stages of their abusive relationship, you may learn that they initially believed it to be everything they’d ever dreamed of. Chances are they’ll also tell you it wasn’t until later that they saw another side of their partner or spouse. In a perfect world, we’d be able to spot a potentially abusive partner before we sat down for our first dinner date. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple and red flags are often missed (or dismissed) as the relationship progresses. Below are a few warning signs of abusive relationships. If one or more sounds familiar to you, it may be time to take a good look at your relationship to determine if it is indeed unhealthy.