APOPKA, Fla. – Local, state, and federal officials and community organizations came together to talk tackle violence against women at a summit Thursday in Apopka.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD organized the event and provided piles of information and resources at Apopka’s community center.
Among the crowd was the family of Shakeria Rucker, who came to support Leonia Thorton, Rucker’s younger sister.
“This process is something that I don’t wish upon anybody,” said Leonia Thorton.
Thorton lost Rucker last November after she was found dead Investigators say she was found shot inside a Zellwood storage container.
Orange County investigators say the man behind the gun was Rucker’s estranged husband, Cory Hill, who was already in jail for a separate case.
“For this year we’ve targeted violence against women as one of our primary areas of work and the projects that we will complete this year, especially in light of so many violent events in this area,” said Alecia Scott-Ford who is the field office director of Jacksonville HUD.
Scott-Ford shares that housing is one resource that can stop someone from leaving a violent situation.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly one in four women in the U.S. have been the victim of severe physical violence by a partner.
“The need for education is so high when it comes to understanding what is domestic violence, identifying domestic violence,” said Michelle Sperzel, who is the CEO of Harbor House of Central Florida.
Organizers say to answer some of those questions they provided several panel discussions as well as community resources that were seen in portions of the community center including one from Rucker’s family, a new foundation called For My Sister Foundation.
“Through this, I knew I couldn’t save my sister, but I know I can save someone else,” Thornton said.
Thorton says the For My Sister Foundation’s goal is to provide shelter and wrap-around services to support victims of domestic violence, a resource she says she wishes Rucker had.
“Even for the affordable housing it’s pricey, I can say from my sister’s standpoint she was paying $1,950, that was affordable housing, is that affordable,” said Thorton.
Thorton goes on to say she had been planning the formation of the foundation for months and now that it’s here and available she says she knows her sister is proud.
For more information about the For My Sister Foundation, click here.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, you can call Harbor House’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 407 886-2856.
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