News, Resources, and Community Stories
from Hotline Outer Banks

A refreshed name and look. The same unwavering commitment to our community.

We're proud to introduce Hotline Outer Banks, the next chapter in our organization's 46-year history of serving survivors of domestic violence, and sexual assault.

Our refreshed brand reflects who we are today while honoring the mission that has always guided us: protecting, restoring, and empowering survivors through compassionate support, life-saving services, and hope. Our new phoenix logo symbolizes resilience, renewal, and the courage to rise, values that inspire our work every day.

While our name and visual identity have changed, the heart of our organization has not. Our advocates, shelter, counseling, court advocacy, prevention programs, and 24/7 crisis services remain free for our community, just as they always have.

We invite you to learn more about the story behind our rebrand and what it means for the future of Hotline Outer Banks by visiting our website.

How one phone call changed everything for this Kill Devil Hills resident who found hope, healing, and the courage to help others.

LORI DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY

On any evening at Huanchaco Lounge in Kill Devil Hills, you'll likely find Jharixa Pugh welcoming guests, crafting cocktails inspired by her Peruvian heritage, and creating the kind of space where everyone feels they belong. It's difficult to imagine that just a few years ago, this 30-year-old wasn't sure she would survive.

Jharixa was ten years old when she moved from Lima, Peru, to the Outer Banks. Raised by a strong grandmother and surrounded by resilient women, she grew up in Manteo, attending its schools, forming friendships, and learning the values of kindness and treating everyone with dignity.

The future seemed full of possibility when she graduated from high school. Jharixa dreamed of love and creating a life of her own. Believing she had found the person she would build that life with, she followed her partner across the country to California, convinced they were beginning a future together.

She recalls that what first felt like love and commitment gradually gave way to manipulation, control, and isolation. By the time the relationship ended, it had quietly reshaped her understanding of what was normal. Consequently, she didn't recognize the warning signs when they appeared in the next relationship. And this time, the emotional abuse escalated into full-blown physical violence.

Read the full story at HotlineOuterBanks.org/blog

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but for survivors, domestic violence is not a month-long issue. It can shape every day—where they go, whom they speak to, how they spend money, and whether they feel safe in their own home.

Domestic violence is more common than many people realize. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 6 men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Those numbers represent people in every kind of community, including ours.

Hotline Outer Banks is here for survivors every hour of every day. We provide confidential, compassionate support through our 24/7 crisis line, emergency shelter, safety planning, counseling, support groups, court advocacy, and hospital response. A survivor does not need to have all the answers or be ready to leave a relationship to call. Sometimes the first step is simply talking with someone who will listen without judgment.

Our entire community has a role to play. We can learn the warning signs, believe survivors, and help connect them with support. Awareness matters but what we do with that awareness matters even more.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing domestic violence, call the Hotline Outer Banks free, confidential crisis line at 252-473-3366. Help and hope are available 24/7/365.

For survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, the journey toward safety and healing can be overwhelming. Your gift ensures that when someone reaches out during one of the most frightening moments of their life, Hotline is there with a safe place to go, a compassionate advocate to listen, and ongoing support to help rebuild a life with hope and confidence.

Giving is quick and easy at HotlineOuterBanks.org.

And your generosity may go twice as far! Use our Double the Donation tool in our online donation form to see if your employer will match your gift!

When most people hear the words human trafficking, they assume it refers only to sex trafficking and that it happens elsewhere. The reality is that forced labor is human trafficking and it happens in communities just like the Outer Banks.

Forced labor occurs when someone is compelled to work through force, fraud, or coercion. It can affect people in a wide range of industries, including hospitality, restaurants, construction, landscaping, retail, cleaning services, and other seasonal industries found in coastal communities.

That's why Hotline Outer Banks launched a public awareness campaign to help our community recognize the signs, understand the facts, and know where to turn for help.

Watch our 30-second awareness video at the top of this article, then visit our website to learn more about forced labor, warning signs, and how we can all help vulnerable individuals in our community. HotlineOuterBanks.org/Forced-Labor

Because awareness is the first step toward prevention.

The holidays are just around the corner and with them come celebrations, travel, and time with family and friends but they can also create unsafe situations where a little planning can make a meaningful difference.

If you’re heading to a family gathering, party, bar, or community event, go with people you trust, watch out for one another, plan your ride home in advance, and trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right.

The season can also make an already abusive situation more volatile. Stress and alcohol do not cause or excuse domestic violence, but survivors may face increased risk. Creating a safety plan, arranging check-ins with someone you trust, or establishing a code word to signal that you need help can provide an added layer of support.

For more tips about safety planning, and supporting someone you’re worried about, visit HotlineOuterBanks.org/safety-planning.

If you or someone you know needs support, call Hotline Outer Banks’ confidential 24/7 crisis line at 252-473-3366.

Hope for survivors doesn’t happen on its own. It happens when caring people step forward to lend their time, talents, and hearts.

Hotline Outer Banks is looking for volunteers to join the teams at our thrift stores and support the work that makes our mission possible. Volunteers  welcome shoppers, organize donations, create displays, keep merchandise moving, work the register, and make our stores warm and inviting places for the community.

Every hour volunteered helps our thrift stores generate critical support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Along the way, volunteers meet new people, stay active, have fun, and become part of a caring community working toward something bigger.

Ready to Help Hope Happen? Apply in person at any Hotline Thrift Store or visit HotlineOuterBanks.org/volunteer

Love the thrill of a great find? At Hotline thrift stores, your treasure hunt does something truly meaningful.

Every lamp, jacket, chair, and one-of-a-kind discovery purchased at our stores in Manteo, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Frisco, and our partner store in Rodanthe helps support Hotline Outer Banks’ services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Your purchases help make our 24-hour crisis response, emergency shelter, advocacy, counseling, safety planning, court assistance, and hospital response possible. That means the bargain you bring home can help provide safety, support, and hope to someone facing one of life’s most difficult moments.

Thrift shopping is also a win for our beautiful Outer Banks environment. Giving donated clothing, furniture, housewares, and décor a second life keeps usable items out of local landfills and puts them into the hands and homes of people who will enjoy them again.

Stop in, explore, and enjoy the hunt. When you shop Hotline thrift stores, you save money, reduce waste, and help survivors move toward safer, brighter futures. Visit us online for locations and store hours.

Hotline Outer Banks. Where healing takes flight thanks to you.

Questions?
info@hotlineouterbanks.org

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