Safety for Maeve and Baby Rowan

My friend Maeve and their child Rowan are fighting for their safety. They need around six thousand dollars to pay a lawyer who can help them establish custody and get to a safe stable living environment.

Rowan's other parent has been severely emotionally abusive, physically abusive, and has made threats against Maeve's life. Maeve has been living in a constant web of lies and world of chaotic meltdowns every day as their ex demanded that they take care of them *and* their now 10-month old baby. Maeve and Rowan were unable to establish the routines and security that they needed to. Recently, the ex's daily all-day outbursts crossed into threats of sending "the mafia" to kill Maeve and their family, physically threatening gestures such as stabbing the furniture with knives, and "accidental" physical assaults such as falling into Maeve and injuring them. The ex also constantly lied extensively about personal details such as country of birth, their military service history, their enrollment status in school, what education they had obtained, and some parts of their medical history. They have even claimed that they took the Bar examination this Spring to represent themself in court and have terminated Maeve's parental rights. It's all unbelievably maddening.

After reading texts between them and listening to numerous recordings of their "fights" (the ex's tantrums), it was very clear that they were imminently unsafe. If you've ever dealt with someone like the person I just described, you know how quickly things can take a turn for the worse and end tragically. We weren't going to let that happen, so a couple of weeks ago our family helped Maeve and Rowan escape their apartment and they have been staying safely with us since. Luckily, because our own baby Rowan is due soon, we have just about every baby item that you could need! Maeve's Rowan has been a delight to have in our home, and has learned and explored so much about the world as we help her establish secure routines and catch up to some key milestones. Unfortunately, we don't have the space or resources to keep hosting them forever. They need and deserve to be able to get back into their own home without Rowan's other parent jeopardizing their safety. 

Maeve is a phenomenal parent who is working hard every day to figure out these next steps. They have located and utilized many of the resources available to us here in Washington. They have now found a lawyer that comes highly recommended who will help them figure out what steps are necessary to secure their future legally. The initial consultation fee is $300 and the whole process can be expected to take at least $6k. Maeve and Rowan currently live entirely off of cash assistance and EBT, and what little cash they might have had on hand has been drained by their ex. Every dollar really makes a huge difference for this family. I hope you'll join me in sharing this far and wide so they can have the best chance possible of gaining their safety and security soon.

Thank you so much.