Laura's House - Aliso Viejo, California

EllE E.

I do not recommend this place as an option. I ended up fleeing this domestic violence shelter because it was such an unpleasant place to stay. The staff are just awful. It felt like being in an abusive living environment all over again. Very disrespectful staff and highly controlling. You are treated like prisoners and they are the wardens. When in reality we are victims of abuse and good people. There's is zero respect or empathy. The staff just act in a very robotic, emotionless and disrespectful manner. Its a power trip for them.

Also zero money from the countless donations is spent on the women who stay there or the furnishings for the rooms. All food and toiletries are donated. The rooms are furnished like prison cells. All the money donated seems to go on the staff who ( you can Google it) are paid very handsomely.

golnaz S.

I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. Their lack of advice (even when I begged) and ill informed staff caused me to lose my dvro and my abuser was then able to put another woman in the hospital. This place is trash.

Liam J.

(From a Black Women) Was told they don’t refuse anyone. Filled in paper work with a very lovely lady and payed for two therapy sessions. I financially am not in a place to afford therapy and have a hard time opening up about my DV situation. I came to Laura’s House because they said they help people like me and don’t refuse anyone. However the next day I went in, I felt incredibly judged by the intake therapist, after laying out my most vulnerable traumatizing moment. Towards the end of sharing my DV situation she got antsy and hyper focused on things unrelated to my dire situation. She called me two days later saying that I cannot start with them until I get outside therapy, though my reason going is due to financial reasons hence why I’m here which I reiterated to her. Plus I’m in the midst of a serious situation and just needed to talk with those maybe in similar situations. The way she treated me made me feel incredibly insecure and anxious. I just want help and apparently I don’t qualify for their group therapy even though i paid for it already. She emailed me other programs to apply to. Things like this aren’t easy for me to talk about and I don’t want to go around telling everyone my situation it’s triggering and exhausting , coming
forward to them already was a big step for me. After spending all that time filling in paperwork, being told they don’t reject anyone, giving my money, and told to go get a therapist and then give them a call. i’m seeking domestic violence help. Protect Black Women.

Grace M.

This place is a disaster. I called them for help from another county. They first acted as if they could not help me. They left me in the streets for my abuser to find me claiming they could not help. I am a black woman and they would not put me up in a hotel they made me stay in the counru to find a place of my own with no income at all. I had to do this all weekend then call back as they were pretending they had no space and they hotel they used was full. I then had to find my way to another county. I finally got to the hotel they came in a van and picked me. I got to the shelter and it had 12 rooms with only 4 rooms filled. All the other ladies received welcome packaged me nothing. While there I couldn't receive any services no individual counseling for two weeks and while in group counseling we would share and all the counselor's would speak about my private business when nothing should leave group they would literally repeat to my face. I watched Mexican , Asian, White women walk out of there with new cars and the black women nothing most of us was not even helped into transitional housing. I was told it was policy because my abuser would not give me my child and he was not there I received no help. They did not help me to get my son at all a black life that did not matter mines nor his. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. They ate suppose to call alumni women never to thus date have I gotten a call. No help at all.

Grace

Sophia M.

So after reading the reviews I can see now why me and my seven children are sleeping in our car because the dmv phones lines representatives are disconnecting the calls and or pretending to have phone difficulties a woman hung up the phone in me and my children’s face several times yesterday I’m not sure why our intake took us from 11 am until 440 pm and she said unfortunately we donnot have any shelter room now this “worker” continues to ask specific life details like make model year of vehicle demographics of all my children she even asked for my social security number and afterwards she kept disconnecting the call I kept having to call back she was complaining about my seven children in the background making noise when I was trying to keep them as quiet as possible in a vehicle I was fortunate enough to catch her mishaps on video and will present it to higher authority in the morning time… as of right now me and my children are in our vehicle 1:40 am September 6th 2023 because of the petti behavior of whoever was working on Lara’s house dmv hotlines 9/5/23 from 10 until 5 pm and I was referred back to Lara’s house from 2-11 around 7ish and the lady kept pretending that she couldn’t hear me but other agencies and 2-11 heard me well over the phone and she hear the 2-11 worker because she spoke with her first before referring me they kept leaving me on these long wait time and then disconnected the call so yes I will be making a complaint today sept 6 2023 with proof… we are going through enough if you aren’t mature enough for this job clock out and put an application in jack n the box … we don’t need NO MORE ABUSE what she did yesterday to me and my seven children was abusive and domestic behavior

Janna B.

We waited 3 days to find out there was no room after all. What a waste of time this place is...more inquisitive questions than ever asked before & then NO help. Very weird vibe from all the

people we felt with

Brenda U. G.

I have been a volunteer for five months and the staff has been very kind! An excellent place to volunteer and surround yourself with good energy!

Lisa B.

Don't come here the treatment is the worst.Nobody helps you place is horrible.