CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – For one Lowcountry family, October’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month carries deeper meaning as they remember their daughter killed 21 years ago.

Doug and Shirley Warner’s daughter, Liza Warner, was killed in an act of domestic violence, a tragedy that inspired them to help others find safety before it is too late.

Liza Warner was shot by her husband Oct. 1, 2004; he then took his own life. This was after she left him for New York City, seeking a fresh start away from his abuse. Every October since has served as a painful reminder for the Warners and a call to action for change.

To honor their daughter’s memory, the family founded Liza’s Lifeline in 2008, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of abuse through financial assistance, education and advocacy.

The organization educates schools and community groups on the warning signs of domestic violence and provides critical, hands-on support to survivors, helping them pay for housing deposits, gas or car repairs so they can safely leave abusive situations. Liza’s Lifeline also runs a pet protection program to ensure survivors’ animals are safe while they transition to stability.

Susie Ash, president of Liza’s Lifeline, said those services can be life-changing for victims who often have nowhere else to turn.

“We had a victim not too long ago who was eight weeks pregnant and needed to get out of Charleston before her abuser got out of jail,” Ash said. “That’s one of the things we do. We had Mandy Matney and her husband from the True Sunlight podcast donate a car to us this summer, and we were able to give that to a mother with two small children, and that was a complete game changer. We want to be able to continue that.”

According to the South Carolina Governor’s Office, the state ranks second in the nation for the rate of women killed by men and has remained in the top 10 for the past 12 years. More specifically, in 2023, there were 55 confirmed domestic violence homicides in the state.

While the state has created a Domestic Violence Task Force and added more resources to address the issue, Ash said greater awareness of the risks victims face when they leave is still needed.

“There wasn’t a way for her to know until it got to that point,” Ash said. “The time that a person is in the most danger is when they try to leave a domestic violence relationship rather than when they’re just existing in one.”

She added that fear, love and lack of resources often keep victims from escaping.

“That’s one of the reasons a lot of times people don’t leave,” she said. “If you’ve ever loved somebody, then you understand why people stay.”

Beyond advocacy and education, Liza’s Lifeline has also been working toward policy change.

“We’re able to legislate in Columbia, and we’ve been working on a bill for three years now, House Bill 3569,” Ash said. “It gives victims in a domestic violence relationship the ability to get out of their lease without getting an eviction on their record or being held financially responsible for damages to their house.”

Ash said that protection could make a critical difference for survivors searching for safe housing.

“Not being held financially responsible in a lease is huge,” she said. “But one of the biggest things we see with a lot of domestic violence victims is they can’t find another place to live because they have an eviction on their record, and not many people want to rent to someone with that history. If you’re able to get out of your lease without an eviction, then you’re able to find another place a lot easier.”

House Bill 3569 has already passed twice in the South Carolina House of Representatives, and advocates hope this will be the year it makes it through the Senate and becomes law.

Meanwhile, statewide organizations are pushing to close other gaps in South Carolina’s legal protections. The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault has been advocating for legislation that would add dating violence to the state’s domestic violence laws, an omission that currently leaves thousands unaccounted for and unprotected.

Ash said this is also essential because the exclusion of dating violence from the legal definition means many victims, particularly younger people, are not represented in state statistics or covered under existing protections.

For advocates like Ash, the push for stronger legislation goes hand in hand with providing on-the-ground resources. Although she said South Carolina has made meaningful progress in addressing domestic violence, there is still much work to do.

“I think that we’ve come a long way,” Ash said. “And I think that we have a very long way to go, especially here in South Carolina.”

For more information or to access safety resources, visit Liza’s Lifeline or the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence online.