ABUSED WOMEN FIND SAFE HAVEN : MANY COME FROM L.A. TO PALMDALE SHELTER.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

One woman was beaten so badly she needed stitches to close her wounds. Another was beaten to the point she could not see through her blackened and swollen eyelids. A third was beaten and choked almost to death.

All sought a safe haven at Oshun Village, the latest Antelope Valley domestic violence shelter designed to give women an alternative to staying in abusive relationships - which may or may not involve husbands or boyfriends.

``My brother almost killed me,'' explained one Los Angeles woman, who came to the shelter three months ago. ``He's a drug addict and an alcoholic. He's beaten me since I was 16.''

It was one night in August that the woman, who had moved back in with her family after her husband died of a drug overdose, realized she had to leave.

Her brother had come home high on cocaine and was in a violent mood.

``He beat me continuously for 2-1/2 hours,'' she said. ``He choked me for more than 10 minutes; I was sure I was going to die.''

As she lay face down on the floor, he pressed his foot against her neck. Her son and her brother's son watched.

``I prayed to God that if this is my time, take me, otherwise give me strength to make this stop,'' she said. ``It was like God had sent an angel to me because he got off me, and I got up and called 911.''

Her brother was arrested, and she and her son went to Oshun Village, which draws a number of women from the Los Angeles area because it is so far from their abusers.

``My brother was out of jail in three days,'' she said. ``He would have done it again and maybe even killed. I was worried for my son. I had to leave.''

According to Autherine Walker, executive director of Oshun Village, stories like this are common.

``Sometime victims don't even know they are victims until it's too late,'' Walker said.

An activist in women's issues for 10 years, Walker opened Oshun Village in September 1995 to help women who have nowhere else to go. Since then, the 26-bed shelter has housed 82 women and 129 children.

Walker said she decided that the Antelope Valley needed a second women's shelter beside the valley's oldest and largest, Valley Oasis.

``We provide a safe haven for them until they can decide what their next step is,'' Walker said.

On Saturday, the shelter's first fund-raising event will be hosted by the Antelope Valley Business and Professional Women's Organization. The Mele Kalikimaka - ``merry Christmas,'' in Hawaiian - will provide Hawaiian entertainment and Hawaiian food at 7 p.m. at the Palmdale Holiday Inn.

Guests are asked to bring items to place under the Christmas tree for women and children at the shelter. Tickets can be purchased by calling [phone].

Oshun Village, whose location is kept secret to protect the women from their abusers, offers food, clothing and housing for up to 30 days.

``We've been at or near capacity since January,'' Walker said.

With its outreach center office at 536 E. Palmdale Blvd., the shelter offers counseling, assistance with welfare forms and other social services, transportation to medical appointments and help in obtaining restraining orders against abusers.

Officials are hoping to get additional funding to complete a transitional center, where women could stay six months or a year until they are able to become independent.