ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — What Barbara Moore pushed for in the 1970s was novel: She wanted to tackle domestic violence head-on and providing resources to save lives.
What You Need To Know
- Barbara Moore turned her personal pain into a pioneering fight against domestic violence in the 1970s
- Harbor House, the predecessor of the organization founded by Moore, is now the largest domestic violence shelter in Florida
- The legacy of Moore’s activism has empowered generations, but challenges in combating domestic violence remain
- The future vision for Harbor House includes broader education and mentorship to stop violence before it starts
But, according to her daughter, Moore lived by her own rulebook.
“She was a feminist. It was her mission to get people in crisis the help they needed,” Melissa Moore said. “I’m very proud for her, very proud of her contribution.”
Barbara founded Spouse Abuse Inc., which would go on to become Harbor House. Five decades ago, she healed from her divorce by helping others in Central Florida and championing a cause that was, at the time, progressive.
“Most people thought that violence in the home was a private family affair and resented her for bringing it up,” Melissa said. “So it was courageous of her to call out domestic violence in the 1970s.”
As a child, Melissa was right by her mother’s side, even meeting social activist Gloria Steinem.
And some things Melissa saw all those years ago still stick with her to this day.
“We did keep families in our home. We had a spare bedroom, to hide them,” she said. “As an adult, I look back on it and am like, ‘That was kind of crazy,’ because you can see how dangerous it is.”
But Harbor House today is much more than a crisis hotline, which happened to be the first step Barbara took in creating Spouse Abuse Inc.
It’s also bigger than a protected 9-acre campus — with 136 beds, it’s the largest domestic violence shelter under one roof.
According to the nonprofit’s chief executive officer, Michelle Sperzel, Harbor House also works alongside public defenders and attorneys from the fifth floor of the Orange County courthouse to help those escaping from domestic violence situations file injunctions.
“A lot of times, when people think of domestic violence, they think of people who need to flee,” Sperzel said. “That’s absolutely true. But it’s one part of all the puzzle pieces that need to come together.”
As Harbor House eyes the future and the creation of an essential “one-stop shop” for domestic violence assistance — or a family justice center — it is leaning into partnerships with law enforcement and the clerk of courts. Additionally, it is partnering up with Orange County Public Schools to teach students about healthy relationships — and the organization’s leaders hope to create a mentoring program to help stop violence before it starts.
“All of us have continued that good work together,” Sperzel said. “People say it takes a village to raise children. It takes a community to help people navigate through a domestic violence situation.”
Meanwhile, in the Tampa Bay area, CASA, the Citrus County Abuse Shelter, opened a family justice center in 2022 in St. Petersburg. It’s the only such center in the state of Florida at the moment, providing survivors with on-site childcare, legal advice, mental health counselors and other resources.
Per CASA coordinators, domestic violence survivors also get matched with advocates so they can tell their story just once — and avoid being re-traumatized.
As for the woman in Central Florida who started it all, surviving paralysis from polio as a child and later going on to obtain her master’s degree at what is now the University of Central Florida, the life of an activist was not easy. Barbara Moore died in 1991 from pancreatic cancer.
But Melissa said what her mother she did five decades ago has her thanking her lucky stars — and her mother, Barbara — to this day.
“And if it weren’t for her generation’s feminist activism, I wouldn’t have been able to own my own house, gotten my own bank accounts or pursue any career that interests me,” she said.
On the future of Harbor House, Melissa said: “Ultimately, I would like for it to be unnecessary. But we’re a long way away from that.”
Harbor House’s 24-hour crisis hotline is 407-886-2856.
For anyone in need of help in the Tampa Bay area, CASA’s 24-hour hotline is 727-895-4912. Outside Pinellas County, the number is 800-500-1119.
