Meet Willow Haven Advocacy Group: Assisting Abuse Survivors in Rural Virginia

In late 2025, Siblings Lyle Poppe and Erin Harvey established the Willow Haven Advocacy Group, a local organization whose mission is “(t)o foster the empowerment of rural survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and related trauma through safe and inclusive shelter, compassionate support, and community engagement.”

While it is open for business, so to speak, and already assisting some clients as a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, Willow Haven remains a work in progress. The organization is in need of physical office space and currently operates without a dedicated facility. Its staff consists solely of its two founders, who are volunteering their time and not drawing salaries. Erin is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has lived and worked near Richmond for more than a decade. Lyle is a recent transplant to Virginia, having relocated last summer from northern Wisconsin to the outskirts of Suffolk, and is now a Community Electric member-owner.

Their goal is to serve and assist abuse survivors in the less densely populated counties and towns between Richmond and Virginia Beach, where the need still is urgent but resources are fewer and farther between. A 2024 report from The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance states that, “Over the past five years, hotline data from Virginia’s sexual and domestic violence agencies shows steady demand and growing complexity in survivors' needs … While calls related to domestic and sexual violence remained steady, calls for ‘other needs’ including housing, legal issues, and financial assistance, rose 20% since 2021.”

In rural areas, “Survivors really don’t have access to resources unless they can drive 45 minutes,” Poppe says. “I’ve worked in rural areas before. There are a lot of underserved people in rural areas.”

In Wisconsin, Poppe worked for the past six years as executive director of a nonprofit organization with a mission similar to the one that Willow Haven has established. Ultimately, the siblings want to provide “holistic support” ranging from crisis counseling to clothing, food and shelter to gas cards for transportation to employment skills coaching. As their website explains, “Though our careers unfolded separately, we realized how perfectly our skill sets complement each other. Lyle brings nonprofit leadership and advocacy experience, while Erin brings clinical expertise and deep compassion for people in crisis. Together, we knew we could create something meaningful, an organization that not only supports survivors but truly understands the unique challenges of rural living.”

Not surprisingly, Willow Haven’s biggest immediate challenge is fundraising. Community Electric’s energy solutions subsidiary, RECORE, has donated $1,000 from its sales revenues to Willow Haven, which Poppe says is among the largest donations received thus far.

As Willow Haven’s financial picture improves, the organization will have the flexibility needed to devote resources where they are needed most, Poppe says. Gas cards are especially welcome to help rural clients access services. Once office space is obtained, the organization can turn its attention to basic office supplies and materials, as well as safety devices like door cameras and door locks. Ultimately, Willow Haven’s founders want to have a shelter for clients as well as a 24-hour hotline and food and clothing that it currently lacks the space to store.

These resources can have a tremendously positive impact on people seeking to break a cycle of abuse and regain control of their lives, Poppe says.

“One reason that it’s hard for survivors to reach out is because, in many cases, they’ve been systematically broken down by an abuser who gaslights them to make them feel that it’s their fault and they don’t deserve any better,” he explains. “The power and control dynamics often are such that survivors have no work history, no resources, they can’t get a job, and they’re in a desperate situation where the abuser actually is their life line.”

He notes that his sister’s expertise as a licensed therapist is a unique capability that many similar organizations lack on staff. Poppe says that, as an abuse survivor himself, Willow Haven’s mission “really speaks to me.”

Even in these early months of operation, Willow Haven would like to build a roster of volunteers who might represent the organization at community events. Volunteer or not, Poppe says there are ways that people can provide crucial support to abuse survivors. One is not to let them become isolated, since abusers often seek to separate those they are abusing from family and friends.

“Let them know, ‘I’m here for you.’ Also, let them know you believe them even if they’re telling you an outlandish story. That means a lot to a survivor. Sometimes things are hard to believe simply because the abuse is so systematic and can be so vile.”