Portal founder starts program for abuse victims and children with award money

LYNN – Winning a national award last year was not a reason to celebrate for Deborah Fallon; it was an opportunity to expand the anti-domestic violence support organization she founded 13 years ago.Fallon turned the $5,000 in prize money from the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund into starter funding for The Hiding Place, a home providing shelter to up to eight women and six infants at a time.Hiding Place serves on average each month over 1,600 meals to mothers and their children. Fallon plans to underscore the support she received from Avon by attending the Global Summit for a Better Tomorrow, held at the United Nations on March 4, to honor international efforts to help women.She will have a chance to rub elbows at the New York event with actress Reese Witherspoon, personal finance author and television host Suze Orman and other participants.Orman helped judge Fallon’s application to the Avon Fund last year and offered this forecast about Fallon’s ability to tackle abusive violence:”Deborah is obviously going to change this problem one family at a time, and with small steps great accomplishments are made.”Fallon started Portal with other anti-abuse advocates in 1995 after Lynn police helped her escape an abusive relationship.”They are one of the best-equipped departments for providing follow-up support and agency resources to people impacted by abuse,” she said.Working in Everett, Malden, Medford, Lynn and Revere, Portal annually helps 900 men and women suffering abuse with the help of volunteers and a $104,000 budget.The organization directs abuse victims to safe shelter, legal aid, and job training. It organizes youth programs and support to help prevent a return to the violent situation.Portal also created the Erin’s Project youth initiative to provide teenage girls with a place to stay and encourage them to continue their schooling and gain skills to achieve financial and emotional independence.