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Tag: domestic violence

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Press Release

VITAL ARPA FUNDING PROVIDES THE HARRIS COUNTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL WITH LIFE-SAVING RESOURCES

Media Contact:
Amy Smith
281-660-7608
amysmith@hcdvcc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16th, 2023

VITAL ARPA FUNDING PROVIDES THE HARRIS COUNTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL WITH LIFE-SAVING RESOURCES

(Harris County, TX) – March 17, 2023 — Judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County Commissioners made a historic commitment to fund agencies who are serving families suffering the trauma of domestic violence with the award of $4.7 million to the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.  Last week marked the second anniversary of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) being signed into law.  This law has created the opportunity to provide critical and life-saving funding to those experiencing the trauma of domestic violence, and the law paved the way for Harris County to be able to dedicate funds specifically for Domestic Violence.  

“Domestic Violence is connected to a third of the homicides in Harris County. The Domestic Violence Assistance Fund’s combination of flexible wraparound services to assist survivors in combination with targeted interventions by the High Risk Team has been proven to make a difference. We’re thrilled to partner with HCDVCC and these twenty nonprofits to help keep families safe,” said Leah Barton, Harris County’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

With this award, the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) created a process to grant 20 community organizations this much-needed critical capital.  These flexible funds will serve more than 3,000 families with over 6,600 individuals. Flexible funding means people can receive direct financial assistance to support their immediate needs such as rental and utility assistance, safe hotel stays, moving assistance, car repairs, basic needs, childcare, mental health services, and legal services.

HCDVCC is honored to partner with the following 20 agencies that are recipients of the Domestic Violence Assistance Funds:

Organization Award
Northwest Assistance Ministries
Fort Bend Women’s Center
Daya
Katy Christian Ministries
The Landing
Family Ties
Families to Freedom
Galveston-Houston Immigration Representation Project
FamilyTime
An Nisa Hope Center
YMCA
Justice for all Immigrants
Bay Area Turning Point
BakerRipley
Houston Area Women’s Center
Bethel’s Family Center
Asians Against Domestic Abuse
Catholic Charities
Fresh Spirit Wellness, Inc
The Bridge Over Troubled Waters
$22,000.00
$50,000.00
$55,000.00
$92,345.00
$94,440.00
$100,000.00
$123,594.05
$152,476.75
$156,750.00
$165,000.00
$175,000.00
$183,187.31
$193,206.60
$200,000.00
$227,500.00
$227,500.00
$227,500.00
$227,500.00
$227,500.00
$227,500.00

A recent study (https://www.hcdvcc.org/resourcematerials/)  conducted by Dr. Leila Wood from the Center for Violence Prevention at The University of Texas Medical Branch found that not only did domestic violence increase because of the pandemic, but also it increased in severity.  Additionally, mental health needs increased, and access to services and support systems has decreased.  These results directly support the need for this critical funding to remain available to families.  Other recommendations from the report include:

  • Prioritize cash assistance and housing vouchers,
  • Continuously offer free and/or affordable childcare for work, school, and health respite,
  • Center racial justice in domestic violence and sexual assault work,
  • Invest in health and mental health,
  • Increase service access by enhancing domestic violence and sexual assault agency capacity,
  • Use technology to increase access to community support and criminal justice remedies.

Harris County’s investment in the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund will ensure that these recommendations can be implemented and increase access to safety and services for those suffering from the trauma of domestic violence. 

To Download the Press Release click on the image below.
To learn more about the partner agencies, click the image below.
Categories
Children Community Share Op-eds

Texas Advocacy Project

Screenshot 2023-03-09 at 11.47.12 AM
Screenshot 2023-03-09 at 11.43.20 AM
My name is Aarian Tipton. I am one of 3 licensed masters social workers with Texas Advocacy Project.

TAP provides free legal services and access to the justice system, and advances prevention through public outreach and education. We provide holistic trauma-responsive care in collaboration with the legal team. Our services aim to reduce barriers to legal services and provide pathways to improve long-term stability. Social workers are typically consulted after a survivor has spoken to a staff attorney, and expressed a need-or the staff attorney felt the survivor indicated they were in a high-risk situation.
A typical day for the social worker can look like speaking with a survivor about various safety concerns, stress, assessing mental health concerns, and providing various community resources. However, no day is the same and other challenges may arise. When survivors’ basic needs (shelter, food, mental health, ect.) are addressed, they are more likely to have improved engagement as well as improved legal outcomes. In addition to the case management/crisis management intervention we provide to survivors.

We have developed community partnerships such as with HCDVCC and UAHT, provide staff education and trainings, and provide internships for students. We currently have 3 interns. We provide services all over the state of Texas. Our website is: https://www.texasadvocacyproject.org/ we look forward to connecting with more organizations and survivors as it is our vision that all Texans live free from abuse.
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Capital Day Community Share Op-eds

Capital Day Wrap Up

Texas State Capital Building with a purple ribbon and the words Captial Day Wrap Up
Texas State Capital Building with a purple ribbon and the words Captial Day Wrap Up

On February 16th I attended Capitol Day in Austin with over a hundred advocates across the state of Texas. This is probably my 7th Capitol Day and yet it was like the first time, because this year I got to see it through the eyes of the women who have survived and are now thriving in the aftermath of domestic violence. The Voices of Freedom, the Ambassador group of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, traveled to Austin to share their stories and provide education to our Representatives on the importance of funding and policy that will enhance the safety for all Texas survivors of domestic violence. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing our Ambassadors’ experience in their own words.

Here is Lereca’s experience…

On February 16th with my heart racing and frostbitten fingers and toes, while wearing a beanie and a neck scarf, in partnership with hundreds of diverse voices- who shared a life-altering experience and dressed in hues of teal or purple, as one collective voice, we boldly marched towards that place in Austin, TX -the building in which many funding decisions are made for millions of Texans. We were at Capitol. We were at Capitol Day in partnership with TAASA & TCFV- this specific day was set aside for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

See, a few minutes earlier the collective group gathered down the street for a legislative briefing to prepare us for the conversation we’d be having with the legislators and yes, I felt prepared.

I felt prepared and powered to talk about the Texas Stalking Statues. As a survivor of stalking, I felt compelled to share how I felt unprotected by the current statutes as is and how I believe my life was in danger- and it was because my stalker eventually strangled me. I will never forget when one of the legislators connected my story with their story. In the moment of sharing, this person could empathize with how it feels to be stalked. The stalking experience is terrifying. As a survivor, you often wonder if the stalker will ever be stopped. Well here’s what I know, I left the legislator’s office that day knowing that they’d feel equipped with an understanding of why the State of Texas should strengthen its stalking laws.

My experience at the capitol underscores how the value and impact of sharing my survival story coupled with data are necessary to inspire and invoke change in the domestic violence space. Thank you HCDVC for creating this moment and opportunity!

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Community Share Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

Abc 13’s TeenDating Violence Awareness Townhall

Live Stream Town Hall for Teen Dating Violence Awareness

Join ABC13’s Daniela Hurtado and community changemakers for an Action 13 town hall, highlighting rising concerns about teen dating violence.
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Children Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

Teen Dating Violence and Red Flags

Expect Respect: Respect Yourself

Expect Respect is a program offered through SAFE in Austin, Tx.. The purpose of the program is to promote healthy relationships among teens. Recently, SAFE partnered with HCDVCC to offer this program to youth in grades 6-12. As we are leading up to February, which is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, facilitator Stefanie Hayes is teaching the youth how to be aware and recognize Red Flags that can lead to dating violence. Stefanie also serves as a support to the educators, parents, and communities that serve our youth by providing prevention and the basics on teens and dating violence.

Here are a few things to know and share when working with tweens and teens to help spot teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships.

The first thing you will need know- what is a Red Flag?

A Red Flag is a sign or behavior that you see in someone that could turn problematic later; especially as it pertains to forming a relationship.

The most common red flags are lack of communication, control, aggressive behavior, can’t take No for an answer, and disrespect. These are just a few but recognizing these flags will allow you to help teens avoid toxic relationships.

The most important thing you can help young people do is to not ignore what they are seeing or feeling. If they encounter someone who is exhibiting this type of behavior, it is important for them to be aware and know how to handle the behavior. It may be necessary to pause and reflect, evaluate, and decide if they should walk … or better yet run away!

Overall, the key to spotting teen violence it to cultivate self -awareness. If we can help young people love themselves and know their worth, then they will be quick to identify what is healthy versus what is not. Doing this helps young people to avoid red flags and toxicity all together.

About the Author

Stefanie Hayes
Expect Respect Facilitator
HCDVCC

Categories
Op-eds

US Court Ruling response

RESPONSE

Local Domestic Violence Agencies stand united in outrage at the recent ruling on February 2, 2023, by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals declaring a law that restricts those with domestic violence restraining and protective orders from owning firearms unconstitutional. An Nisa, Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, Bay Area Turning Point, The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, DAYA, Family Ties, Family Time, Fresh Spirit Wellness, The Empowered Survivor, Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, Houston Area Women’s Center, and Northwest Assistance Ministries Family Violence Program stand together in opposition of a ruling that has devastating and deadly consequences for those suffering the trauma of intimate partner violence.

According to the Texas Council on Family Violence’s Honoring Texas Victims report, in 2021 204 Texans were killed by their intimate partner, 46 in Harris County alone. Of the 46 killed in Harris County, 35 or 76% were killed by a firearm, and over 50% of those killed were black women. Additionally, 34% of the offenders were prohibited from possessing a firearm under Texas law and 40% were prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law. The number one predictor of a domestic violence homicide is the threat of homicide and the ownership of a firearm. An 11 city study found “…increased risk of intimate partner femicide included perpetrator’s access to a gun and previous threat with a weapon” (Campbell, 2003). Yet three judges – in their infinite wisdom – found it unconstitutional to protect women. Aren’t laws intended to err on the side of protecting people rather than harming them? For the record, in Texas, protective orders are civil legal lawsuits that are granted when domestic violence has occurred and there is a strong likelihood that it will continue. Protective orders help create boundaries of safety for a survivor by restricting harm doers from going to survivors’ homes, workplaces, and/or schools while also strictly forbidding the person from communicating in a threatening or harassing manner. These orders can be granted for any amount of time, and prior to this decision, required the surrender of a firearm for the duration of the order.

This court ruling is one more devastating decision, especially for survivors in Texas, that creates greater challenges for them to become safer. We know that firearms are the number one method of homicide for victims of intimate partner violence and rulings like this only send the message that the safety of women is not a priority. As Harris County continues to see the highest number of domestic violence related fatalities in the state of Texas, it is incumbent upon us all to ensure access to services and protections including the recognition that underserved communities of color experience the highest rates of homicides and the lowest rates of accessing formal services for protections.

One of the strongest protections has been the requirement of surrendering firearms when there is a protective order in place. This law has SAVED lives even as a voluntary program. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right – a voluntary gun surrender program. Currently, in Harris County, if a protective order is granted against a harm doer who owns a gun, they are offered a way to voluntarily surrender it through Harris County’s Safe Surrender Program. Thanks to the laxed and conflicting laws about gun ownership in Texas, actually requiring someone to surrender it with some type of investigation, enforcement and/or accountability does not happen. While Harris County’s Safe Surrender Program is not perfect, it is our best attempt at giving an alternative in adhering to the mandate to surrender firearms when a protective order is granted. It is a step towards increasing safety for survivors. Now even this small step in progress feels insignificant as this court decision strips survivors of more and more protections that should be due to them under the law.

Countless numbers of women have relayed stories to advocates in our community about the threats they received to be shot and killed, and for many women, this threat is made real. In 2022 our community experienced extremely high rates of deadly intimate partner violence and ever-increasing felony level assaults. No one can watch the news on a nightly basis without hearing about another tragic death. Families are suffering and front-line workers are exhausted and cannot keep up with the need. Our community should never have to face losing – a neighbor, a family member, a friend, a Houstonian – due to intimate partner violence. And…now this court ruling supporting the ownership of firearms when there is a protective order – UNACCEPTABLE.

Along with the highest number of homicides, Harris County continues to see the highest turn away rate for emergency shelter, a housing waitlist over 900 families deep, and long wait lists for counseling and therapeutic services. One domestic violence homicide can cost a community close to 15 million dollars (DeLIsis et al., 2010). This cost cannot even begin to account for the loss of a mother to her children, or a family member. Yet – we can put our priority on ensuring that the right to bear firearms is more important than the right to be SAFE.

We will not be quiet, we will not let go, we will unite our voices of outrage and the need to support laws that SAVE lives, not destroy them. Our leaders and decision makers need to hear us and make change to eradicate the laws that support the senseless death of survivors at the hands of a would be loved one. There is still much work to be done and we will not stop advocating for protection for victims and survivors that are affected by the lack of laws and protections from firearms.
NO MORE

NNEDV Statement Regarding United States v. Rahimi

BWJP Reacts to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s Disappointing Ruling Undermining Federal Firearms Prohibitions for Persons Who Have Committed Acts of Domestic Violence – BWJP

https://tcfv.org/wp-content/uploads/Call-to-Action-Gun-Violence-Final.pdf

Categories
DVAM Op-eds Press Release Uncategorized

Statement to KPRC 2

Statement to KPRC 2

By: Barbie Brashear and Amy Smith

The blatant disregard for the safety of the victim in the Aubrey Taylor case is just another concern in the long line of issues relating to how Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is addressed in Harris County. Harris County consistently leads our State in IPV homicides. The Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and our Community Partners have numerous programs in place to assist victims of IPV but without the support of the entire Community and especially all involved within the Criminal Justice System, we will keep leading the State in IPV homicides.

There are many barriers to leaving an abusive situation, one including increased violence and risk for homicide when making the decision to leave. How will the victim be safe from their abuser? For a victim, knowing her offender is in custody gives her the ability to develop and employ a safety plan for when and if the perpetrator is released. This respite has increasingly become even shorter with the bond conditions that are being assigned case after case.

One can only imagine the depth of terror felt by the victim while being held by the offender over several days. The abuse the victim suffered at his hands is unfathomable. While we know an offender is innocent until proven guilty, his previous convictions lead us to believe that he perhaps is not going to follow the law, that committing further violence in the future is more than possible, and our system will not hold him accountable. The intimate partner violence field has tools and knowledge that can be used by criminal justice systems to assess for risk for intimate partner violence and the likelihood of homicide to occur. These tools can be used by law enforcement as well as the judicial response to assist in decision making including the assignment of appropriate bonds – WHY ARE WE NOT USING THEM? Harris County is the 3rd largest county in the United State and we lag far behind in dedicating resources to ensuring that our systems and first responders are using the most up to date tools and technology. Additionally, we lag behind in ensuring that all of our systems are looking at the same information related to cases. What is happening that Judges aren’t looking at the totality of the case or of the history – why is our county not using evidence-based risk assessment tools to make consistent and informed decisions? Assigning bonds should require the use of the most reliable and validated tools that can ensure that these decisions are informed by information rather than personal speculation. In the case at hand, the assigning of a low bond – $1 – sends the message to the alleged offender that acts of violence against a loved one are really no big deal and the system will not be holding you accountable for the violence. The message the victim receives is that her life and the lives of all those suffering from IPV are not important and again, the system will not create a way to hold the person using violence accountable, nor afford her the time to increase her safety.

IPV has deadly consequences that can be seen every day. It is a crime that requires serious and thoughtful actions throughout the responding systems to ensure that victims are believed, supported, and protected. Harris County needs to step up and support victims and not treat the abuse they suffer as a family problem. It is a community problem requiring a coordinated community response.

Categories
DVAM Op-eds

Resolutions for 2023

In 2022 our community experienced extremely high rates of deadly intimate partner violence and ever-increasing felony level assaults. No one can watch the news on a nightly basis without hearing about another tragic death. Families are suffering and front-line workers are exhausted and cannot keep up with the need. Our community should never have to face losing a member due to intimate partner violence. As we look ahead to 2023, we ask you to join us in imagining our community without any intimate partner homicides.

There is a very long history of resolution making that begins on the very first day of the new year. Many reflect on the past year’s deeds and resolve to do better by creating positive change in the year ahead. If we could collectively look to the new year and imagine a safer community for families, what resolutions should WE make?

Join us in setting an intention for ending intimate partner deaths – what resolutions need to be made in our community? What would it take for our community to do better? Let’s resolve not one more death…

Adding your resolution by clicking the button on the right will add it to our website! 

Click here to add your resolution!

This is what our community said:

Mental health awareness at worksites that have a high number of employees without employer resources like health insurance. For example, refinery workers, that work long hours.

More affordable housing.

Competitive pay for advocates.

The resolution I would make is to continue sharing my story of overcoming domestic violence to inspire and encourage others to do the same!

I think it would take our community re-framing our mindset from domestic violence being a family issue to domestic violence is a community issue. And with our entire community taking a stance, we create a real possibility of living in a world free of domestic violence.

Funding to help those experiencing partner violence. 

Better communication between law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system.

More funding for rehabilitation and re entry programs for those facing domestic violence charges.

More funding for preventative and community education – it is a community problem.

To shine a light on abusive behavior and resolve to not allow family or friends to minimize the damage of IPV with jokes or other minimizing behaviors.

I resolve to be a safe person for friends and family that are experiencing IPV in their lives.

I resolve to be an open door and answering questions a friend or family member has concerning the dynamics of intimate partner violence – no wrong questions.

 I resolve to provide age-appropriate education and information to younger family and friends about the dynamics of IPV and how be in a healthy relationship.

Focus on rehabilitating offenders who typically victimize many and are often trauma survivors as well.

Treat others like you want others to treat you. (Simple yet difficult)

Media campaigns to bring education and awareness of the issue without blaming the victims, as well as providing essential resources to the community via funding for expansion of high risk programs.

About the Author

Executive Director of HCDVCC,

Barbie Brashear

Our Mission:
To improve Harris County’s response to domestic violence, we lead efforts to build collaborative systems and innovative programs that increase access to services and safety.
Our Vision:
We envision a community where all persons have relationships that are safe, healthy, and free from domestic violence.
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