After enduring years of abuse at the hands of her now ex-husband, Mercy Richard said she has transformed her violent past into a future devoted to providing refuge to adults who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence, along with their children and pets

Richard founded Mercy House, a shelter for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, on Aug. 25, 2010—just one year after escaping from her own violent marriage with her infant son to the Houston Area Women’s Center.

“I’m a survivor of domestic violence and abuse, and I lived in a shelter for three months,” Richard said. “Sometimes the shelters look more like prison cells and aren’t very comfortable, so my vision was to have a place where the clients can relax and not have to worry about the horrific pain and trauma they’ve been through.”

Escaping abuse

Originally from Nigeria, Richard came to the United States as a geologist with ExxonMobil. After getting married and becoming pregnant, Richard’s new family settled in Katy to begin their new lives together.

“Abuse doesn’t [always] start immediately,” she said. “You go into this relationship thinking you’ve found the love of your life, and that’s what I thought. But I didn’t see the red flags.”

When the recession hit in 2008 and she was laid off from the oil and gas industry, Richard said that is when the abuse began. What started out as verbal abuse eventually progressed to physical abuse that became increasingly violent over time, she said.

“He would try to strangle and suffocate me, and it became so bad that I would have to call 911,” Richard said. “The police officer said, ‘One day, this guy’s going to kill you and bury you in the backyard. You need to press charges.’ But I never did because I hoped he would change... but the abuse only got worse.”

After five years of marriage, Richard said she was able to escape with her son and finally agreed to press charges against her husband, gaining not only a newfound outlook on life, but also a newfound purpose.

Seeking shelter

Eight years after its founding, Mercy House has shelter locations in Cypress and Montgomery County, and it offers a variety of services to survivors of domestic, sexual and dating violence.

The shelter provides education, legal and financial assistance, at no charge, in a holistic environment that promotes healing and empowerment, Richard said.

Mercy House not only caters to spouse survivors of domestic violence, but other members of the family as well. Richard said the shelter is the only shelter in Texas that allows survivors to bring pets, which can become the survivor’s emotional support.

“At a typical shelter, you can’t bring your pets or more than three children with you, which is one of the reasons why so many women aren’t able to leave a violent home,” Richard said. “So that’s why we accept survivors with pets, more than three children and boys older than 15 years old.”

While Mercy House used to have a location in Magnolia, Richard said the shelter sustained severe damage from Hurricane Harvey and was forced to close. More than a year later, Richard said she is planning to reopen the shelter in a new Montgomery County location in October—domestic violence awareness month.

The new shelter will have the capacity to house 35 survivors, with typical stays ranging from 30 to 90 days. Clients do not have to reside in Montgomery County to receive services.

“Domestic violence and abuse is a serious and severe problem,” Richard said. “It’s a growing issue, and we need more shelters because there’s a constant need for more capacity.”

“My advice for someone going through domestic violence is to know that your life is very precious and that you’re not alone,” Richard said. “What happens behind closed doors doesn’t need to stay behind closed doors.”

Advice from a domestic violence survivor Mercy Richard, founder of Mercy House, offers the following tips for those experiencing domestic violence and abuse: -Change passwords and usernames on accounts. -Use a safe, untraceable device or cellphone. -Let the authorities at the child's school know what is going on or change schools, if possible. -Take important documents. -Get a P.O. Box and change mailing addresses immediately. Mercy House Help Line: 800-403-6120 ext. 100 https://mercyhousesite.org