Meet Deva Taylor of Beyond the Hurt in South Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deva Taylor.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After my divorce in 2008, I raised my four children alone. I worked two and three jobs at a time to provide for my family. It was a struggle to balance work, home, finances, and teenagers. After my mother transitioned on from cancer in 2015, I started Beyond the Hurt.

I always wanted to assist single mothers because of the challenges I faced as a single mother. Dealing with the grief of my mother, I found that my healing came through assisting women.

BTH started by offering resources and support groups for single mothers. As we progressed, we noticed around 90% of our participants were dealing with some form of domestic violence (Physical, Mental, Emotional, or Verbal). We received late-night calls from women looking to escape their abuser. Due to the demand, we opened Diva’s Safe House. It’s a residential facility where we house single women (only) for up to 12 months. We assist by giving them a safe place to live and the necessary tools for independence to live a violence-free life.

We will celebrate our 4th anniversary on 11/18/2019.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No…The main struggles are finances and the lack of support. Being a young organization, it’s hard to gain the trust and support from the community and large corporations when it comes to financial support.

Having a passion and a strong drive does not pay bills.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Beyond the Hurt story. Tell us more about the business.
Mission: Empowering single mothers and children through Education and Resources to help promote a healthy family.

We offer the following resources: Clothing, household items, cleaning supplies, furniture, pampers, wipes, baby items, dishes, and more. Occasionally, we assist with utility bills.

Classes/Workshops: Financial Freedom…90 day course where we assist our participants with cleaning their credit, complete tax forms, information on starting a small business, monthly budgeting, opening savings/checking accounts, and learning how to save three months worth of expenses. Resume’Building, Mock Interviews, Relationship workshops, Stress Relief, Preparing for the Escape from your Abuser, Support Groups and more

Diva’s Safe House assist women (only) that has dealt with domestic violence. We offer a safe place to live along with a case manager, Life Coach and outside counseling.

We are known for both our Safe House and assisting single mothers with resources and classes.

One of our pride and joys is our Single Mother of the Month program. The community submits nominations for single mothers and we surprise them at work with flowers, balloons, and gifts. Our purpose is to let the mother know that the challenge is hard right now but she has our support for being a great mother.

Is there a specific memory from when you were younger that you really miss?
My favorite memory as a child was going on family vacations with both my parents. Being in the midst of my family made me feel whole.

Pricing:

• Diva’s Safe House: Rooms $400 to $500 a month. Includes toiletries, clothing, Life Coach, hygiene products and more

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BeyondtheHurt.org
• Phone: (602) 304-2879
• Email: Info@BeyondtheHurt.org
• Instagram: @BeyondtheHurt
• Facebook: Beyond the Hurt

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.