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Tag: domestic violence

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DVAM Op-eds

October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

For over 40 years our nation has observed national domestic violence awareness month in October. During these years the movement has accomplished many milestones, including improved laws and legislation, dedicated annual funding, the expansion of services across the nation, the adoption of protocols and tools to assess for lethality and improve safety planning, the implementation of a national domestic violence hotline, and so much more. So…I am wondering how and why there is neglect in giving attention and resources to addressing the root of the problem – what is causing the violence in the first place? There are so many factors that contribute to the perpetuation of intimate partner violence, and as someone who has offered training on the myths and facts of IPV, I am ever reminded that these myths are so powerful that they often control the narrative.

One of the first myths I learned to debunk was that violence is normal and just happens – it is not normal and there is choice in using tactics to attain power and control in a relationship. Might our community also have choice in adopting core values that demand and require the prevention of intimate partner violence? Might we require the adoption of measures that address the root cause and focus on learning what it means to have a healthy relationship? Might we prioritize and FUND interventions that address toxic stress and trauma in childhood, economic disparity and distress, gender based inequity, patriarchal control of women’s bodies and decisions – just to name a few? Might we increase and right size resources and funding to service providers so that they do not have to have waitlists or turn away those in need, as well as to law enforcement and prosecutors to give the dedicated time and attention required for fully addressing the criminal justice system needs of these cases? Might we prioritize financial resources to those fleeing – so that they need not flee at all -but be safe and housed as they want and choose? Might we prioritize resources for interventions that are devised to address those who are using violence in their relationships? In Harris County we have seen a tremendous and overwhelming increase in domestic violence felonies and homicides over the past two years, and it continues to grow. Every day a woman is severely injured or killed by an intimate partner. How is this OK?

I have the honor of being part of meetings on a regular basis with people in our community who have dedicated their lives to service. This includes police officers, prosecutors, social workers, and community advocates. Recently one meeting allowed for the sharing of the complete mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion being experienced – leading to questions of how are we really making a difference? Where are the resources that we need to really make a difference? Why do our community leaders not listen to what is truly needed? WE ARE TIRED! Tired of doing this really difficult work and still seeing families devastated, tired of women killed, tired of families being uprooted and homeless, tired of people being unable to access a service or leaving a message hoping someone will call them back, tired of people giving up hope, TIRED. This is UNACCEPTABLE! This month I am reflecting on the many stories of women who have used every ounce of MOXIE to survive, to get through another day, to find a way to accept hope and healing, to find their voice in anyway possible. I am also reflecting on the many people in service, those who work tireless, and thanklessly to try to improve safety and prevent homicides. The work is hard, the days are long, the thanks are few – AND – the need is GREAT, and the ability to effect change is possible – HOPE IS REAL. My sincerest thanks and gratitude for the many that continue this work – THANK YOU!

About the Author

Executive Director of HCDVCC,

Barbie Brashear

Categories
Community Share Sexual Assault

Out of Line

Often when folks think of bystander intervention, they envision intervening in the moment when something harmful is about to happen. Out of Line, a small group of community members are approaching bystander intervention a bit differently and were honored to receive Texas Association Against Sexual Assault’s 2021 Community Engagement Award for their prevention of violence work in the City of South Houston. The name Out of Line signifies the importance of stepping out of line to disrupt society’s harmful social norms. Our group believes it is important to stand up for radical change to transform our communities into safe and accepting places. We meet at least once a week via zoom or at a local coffee shop. Sometimes we are in our pjs, sitting outside the gym or just clocking out of work to organize, plan, and imagine new ways to engage our community.

These new ways include listening and learning from community. What do our community members want and need? How can we incorporate play, laughter and prioritize authentic relationship building? After taking time to learn what our community members wanted, we held a Movie Night in the Park, a Loteria Night, a Meditation in the Park event, a virtual cooking and make up tutorial class, a family game night, two storytelling nights focusing on mental health and body image and a Tie Dye and Tacos Party. We are currently planning a series of networking nights for small business owners or individuals considering beginning their own business. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with bystander intervention or prevention of violence. We know that violence is reduced through fostering genuine connection, empathy, and equity within our community, and these are the qualities we infuse in our events. Out of Line believes in a future without violence and we charge you to also consider the ways in which you can work alongside your community to create safer, equitable spaces affirming of people of all identities.

Originally referred to as Close to Home, the group decided to change their name to something that best defined their personalities and their community work. The name signifies the importance of stepping out of line to disrupt society’s harmful social norms. The group believes it is important to step out and stand up for radical change to transform our communities into a safe and accepting place, even if people think they are out of line for doing so.

Out of line meets every week at 8 PM. Their meetings are filled with laughter, ideas, and dreams, allowing members to be their authentic selves. Sometimes they’re in bed in their pajamas, or just clocking out from work, or waiting in their car outside the gym… regardless of where they are, every member has always been committed to finding new ways to engage their community.

Out of Line is dedicated to creating a sense of connectedness and cultivating community gatherings in the name of supporting survivors, healing communities through positive relationships, mental health support initiatives, open spaces for vulnerable and powerful conversations, and planning for the next steps to continue engagement. Some of the group’s events include a community movie night, Loteria game night, tie-dye party, Meditation and self-care discussion, Virtual cooking class, dance class for survivors, and more.

About the Author

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Jessica Bellant, MSW is the Education and Prevention Director at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc.

Jessica provides interactive workshops at the local, regional and state level concerning domestic violence, sexual assault, and prevention of these forms of violence. Jessica previously provided guidance concerning Texas’s prevention of sexual violence programming by serving on the state’s Primary Prevention Planning Committee. Her previous experience includes providing crisis counseling and legal advocacy to survivors of gender-based violence and serving as an adjunct professor. Jessica believes in the power of violence prevention and is dedicating her career to fostering safer communities in SoutheastHarris County.

Categories
Community Share Sexual Assault

Reflect on Independence Day this year

As we reflect on Independence Day this year, we at Daya reflect on our mission’s core – the belief that every person deserves an independent life free from abuse. We have embodied this belief for 26 years since being founded and are committed to play our part in helping survivors gain freedom.

South Asian survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault face a myriad of barriers when it comes to getting help, oftentimes making staying silent the less risky option. For 26 years, Daya staff, board members, and volunteers have worked to break the silence around domestic abuse in the South Asian community by tirelessly advocating alongside survivors and community leaders. By uplifting the voices of South Asian survivors, Daya has been able to assist more than 400 survivors reclaim independence annually. While we are proud of our work over the last 26 years, we recognize there is still much to be done. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue, survivors face higher risks and increased vulnerabilities. In just 6 months, Daya has worked alongside 280 survivors who are bravely reclaiming their freedom by ending the cycle of abuse in their relationships.

This work is not done in a silo. Daya is stronger because of the partnerships with our sister organizations who we learn and grow with. Ending the domestic violence will take all of us working in coordination and in solidarity.

We invite you to acknowledge the freedom that results from healthy relationships and independent lives. At Daya, our commitment to independence looks like providing options instead of mandates, spreading knowledge instead of blame, and letting the client lead while always having their back.

About the Authors

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Rachna Khare, Executive Director

 


Tishya Bedi, Director of Outreach and Education

Categories
Community Share Sexual Assault

Freedom is not for all

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Women lost more than the right to choose when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade. Women lost the freedom that comes with self-reliance, self-determination, and bodily autonomy. We are reminded, yet again, that we are second class citizens – subordinate and subject to ideals and laws that meet the needs of the few instead of the needs of the many. BIPOC women already stand in the gap when it comes to wealth, education, housing, poverty, maternal and infant mortality, and countless other inequities with high barriers. The Dobbs decision makes it almost impossible to move beyond the gap when options are restricted and women must live the life they are forced into, instead of the life they want. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness do not apply.

BIPOC women will be even more vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Research states that between 3% and 9% of women experience abuse during pregnancy and risk factors that assure higher rates of abuse, include young age, single, race/ethnicity, and poverty. Adults and children who are impregnated by rape or incest will be tied to those who violated them…for life. Lives will be lost and childhoods will be stolen. The psychological, physical, and financial toll of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term in an environment that is already hostile to BIPOC women is incalculable. Denying the freedom to choose will have collateral consequences of compound, complex, trauma for generations of BIPOC communities.

About the Authors

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Ujima Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community

Categories
Community Share Op-eds Sexual Assault

Harris County Domestic Violence Partners are Working Together

“Law enforcement efforts alone will not sufficiently address the symptoms of crime. We are faced with a public health crisis, and it will require all of us, working together to overcome it.

This is a public health crisis and as a City, we will and must address the crisis through law enforcement, public health practitioners and community partners working together.

NO ONE CAN ESCAPE ACCOUNTABLILITY.

With the collaboration of all stakeholders, including business owners, faith-based leaders, and organizations that work with those experiencing family violence and mental illness, I am confident that we will reduce violence and emerge as One Resilient City-One Unified City-One Safe Houston.”

Mayor Sylvester Turner (February 2, 2022)

Harris County Domestic Violence Partners are Working Together

Harris County has experienced an increase in the severity of violence in domestic violence cases and a spike in domestic violence murders over the last few years. The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges with deep impacts to safety and wellness to Harris County residents, especially those impacted by domestic violence. “I am grateful to ALL the community partners, and law enforcement agencies, for working together with the Houston Police Department’s Major Assaults & Family Violence Division, Family Violence Unit allowing us to continue to do everything we can to make sure Houstonians are safe. I want to thank the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) the Harris County District Attorney’s Office- Domestic Violence Division (HCDA-DVD) and Aid to Victims of Abuse (AVDA) to name a few, who have worked tirelessly during this crisis.” Lt. Kira Webster, Major Assaults and Family Violence Division, Family Violence Unit.

HCDVCC began hosting Family Violence Investigators Alliance Meeting in 2013. The Investigators Alliance was a recommendation that came out of the Community Safety Assessment of Law Enforcement Services in Harris County that HCDVCC conducted in 2011-2012. This allowed Family Violence Investigators from across the County to meet on a quarterly basis with each other and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. As a result of the relationships formed at the Alliance and to provide a coordinated community response to domestic violence during the pandemic, leadership from HCDVCC, HCDA-DVD and the Family Violence Units from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston and Pasadena Police Departments began weekly ZOOM meetings. The weekly meetings allowed for real time conversations related to the isolating parents and children in their homes, while separating potential victims from the network of friends, neighbors, teachers, and other individuals capable of reporting the signs of abuse and helping those at risk escape a dangerous environment. Our conversations confirmed with crime analysis that the pandemic isolating impacts increased the risk and severity of the injury for domestic violence victims. In the early days of the pandemic, the meetings produced a poster campaign to outreach in areas of town with a high rate of domestic violence. These posters were placed in apartment complexes, grocery, and convenience stores in those areas with information on how to get help. These weekly meetings continue today and not only have been beneficial in discussing cases, trends and gaps but have become almost a support group for those who attend.

Harris County is working on prevention of violence and access to essential services, such as justice and policing, social services, helplines and coordination of these services, to provide support to those who experience and witness violence.

Domestic violence is one of the most common crimes to which law enforcement respond; yet it is often misunderstood. By understanding what domestic violence is, what best practices are when responding, and what resources exist to support their work, law enforcement can build the skills, capacity, and comfort to address these crimes and those involved with expertise and care.

One of the priorities, recently identified at the weekly meetings, was the need for updated and on-going training for investigators. On May 25th, HCDVCC partnered with AVDA to provide an 8-hour Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Course #3901 in person training for investigators from HPD, HCSO, PPD HCDA and several Constable’s Offices on Domestic Violence. The topics covered the dynamics of intimate partner violence with an emphasis on common victim and perpetrator experiences and behaviors; sexual assault, stalking, animal abuse, and strangulation in the context of intimate partner violence; protective order enforcement and violations protocols; immigration law and the impact of traumatic events and complexities of the manifestation of trauma. Overall, the investigators provided positive feedback regarding the training with one investigator stating, “Training was excellent in explaining multiple versions of domestic violence and how it related to the entire community-very informative in all areas.”

We are grateful that we can continue to have successful collaborations that provide a coordinated community response to address the ongoing crisis of domestic violence in Harris County.

About the Authors

Pic of Deputy Director Amy Smith
Amy Smith
Senior Director of Communications & Operations,
Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council

Lieutenant Kira Webster
Houston Police Department
Major Assaults & Family Violence Division
Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council Member- Intimate Partner Death Review; Harris County High Risk Team; Harris County Policy Working Group; Harris County Law Enforcement Weekly Check-In & Harris County Strangulation Task Force

Categories
Op-eds

IPV and Women’s Wellness: Toward Enhancing Survivor Support

Intersection of TBI and IPV in Harris County

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse by current or former intimate partners, and it exists in many forms (Breiding et al., 2015). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines and assesses five types of IPV including sexual violence, physical violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control of reproductive or sexual health (Black et al., 2011). IPV is a prevalent health crisis among women. In the United States, approximately 1 in 5 women experience severe physical abuse by intimate partners. Further, severe physical abuse and violence by intimate partners can be a precursor to homicide. The CDC finds that murder is one of the leading causes of death for women 44 years and older (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Moreover, the stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the concern about the prevalence and lethality of IPV (Kaukinen, 2020; Wood et al., 2020).
The ubiquity of IPV has led researchers to identify the impact of IPV. Numerous studies consistently find that IPV can have lasting impacts on women’s wellness (Becker et al., 2010; Campbell, 2002; Coker et al., 2000; Valera & Kucyi, 2017). For example, chronic health problems and central nervous system issues such as fainting and seizures, as well as traumatic brain injury can arise as a result of IPV-related injuries and trauma (Campbell, 2002; Valera & Kucyi, 2017). Most women who have suffered from physical and/or sexual abuse by their intimate partners do not present with obvious injuries. However, when injuries exist, battered women are more likely to present physical injuries to their head, face, neck, thorax, breasts, and abdomen (Campbell, 2002). IPV has also been associated with cardiac and gastrointestinal disorders (Campbell, 2002). Women of sexual violence are also at risk for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, trichomonas, and gonorrhea (Gaensslen & Lee, 2001).

While much of the existing research focuses on the physical consequences of IPV, the effects of emotional and psychological abuse by intimate partners can also be damaging. Mental health consequences of IPV can linger long after physical wounds heal. Depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) are two of the most commonly reported mental health consequences of IPV (Black et al, 2011; Breiding et al., 2015). Women are also at risk for suicidal ideation after IPV (Campbell, 2002). In efforts to cope with the trauma of IPV, women may engage in maladaptive methods including drug and alcohol abuse (Campbell, 2002).
Though recent estimates of IPV emphasize its prevalence and negative consequences, violence against women, especially violence committed by intimate partners, is rarely reported. Only about one-third of women report IPV to police (Akers & Kaukinen, 2009). Given the significant gap between victimization and reporting, as well as the impact of violence against women, researchers and policymakers have attempted to understand the nature of IPV and develop strategies to adequately support survivors.

Strategies and Tips for Support Providers

After experiencing abuse, women may seek help from informal networks, such as family, friends, and coworkers. They may also seek formal help from police, medical personnel, or advocacy agencies. Service providers’ treatment of survivors can influence survivors’ well-being and their downstream decisions to seek further help if needed. For example, when survivors experience blaming attitudes and mistreatment by support providers, they may become retraumatized and withdraw from seeking help. This puts survivors at risk for exacerbated negative physical, mental, and emotional outcomes and revictimization.
Accordingly, support providers should consider implementing the following recommendations to adequately meet survivors’ needs. First, when survivors seek help, their needs may be multi-layered. For example, they may need shelter, treatment for physical injuries, and emotional support. Therefore, advocacy agencies, police, and medical personnel should collaborate in assisting survivors with multiple needs. Second, culturally-sensitive and survivor-centered responses are critical to appropriately respond to women’s needs from various racial-ethnic backgrounds. Thus, support providers should consider the intersections of race, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and IPV when women seek help to promote positive rapport building and engagement with survivors from different backgrounds. Importantly, this knowledge can assist support providers in addressing survivors’ explicitly and implicitly stated needs. Not least, support providers should engage in outreach services. These efforts are essential to providing education to the community about the prevalence and impact of IPV as well as available resources. Outreach endeavors also actively demonstrate agencies’ commitment to serving their communities which is important for establishing and maintaining community trust.

Conclusion

IPV is a ubiquitous health crisis with lasting physical, mental, and emotional consequences. Though formal assistance for IPV is underutilized, survivors can experience positive health outcomes when they seek help. Therefore, support agents should collaborate to provide holistic care for survivors while utilizing culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed practices. Support providers should also extend their services to outreach endeavors to educate and build community relations.

REFERENCES

Akers, C., & Kaukinen, C. (2009). The police reporting behavior of intimate partner violence victims. Journal of Family Violence, 24(3), 159-171.

Becker, K. D., Stuewig, J., & McCloskey, L. A. (2010). Traumatic stress symptoms of women exposed to different forms of childhood victimization and intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25, 1699-1715.

Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., . . .Stevens, M. R. (2011). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Breiding, M., Basile, K. C., Smith, S. G., Black, M. C., & Mahendra, R. R. (2015). Intimate partner violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements, Version 2.0. Atlanta (GA): National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Campbell, J. C. (2002). Health consequences of intimate partner violence. The Lancet, 359(9314), 1331-1336.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.). Fast Facts: Preventing Intimate Partner Violence. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/fastfact.html

Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., Bethea, L., King, M. R., & McKeown, R. E. (2000). Physical health consequences of physical and psychological intimate partner violence. Archives of Family Medicine, 9, 451-457.

Gaensslen, R. E., & Lee, H. C. (2001). Sexual assault evidence: National assessment and guidebook. National Institute of Justice, Washington DC, USA.

Kaukinen, C. (2020). When stay-at-home orders leave victims unsafe at home: Exploring the risk and consequences of intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 668-679.

Valera, E., & Kucyi, A. (2017). Brain injury in women experiencing intimate partner-violence: neural mechanistic evidence of an “invisible” trauma. Brain imaging and behavior, 11(6), 1664-1677.

Wood, L., Schrag, R. V., Baumler, E., Hairston, D., Guillot-Wright, S., Torres, E., & Temple, J. R. (2020). On the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic: Occupational experiences of the intimate partner violence and sexual assault workforce. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-22.

About the Author

Dr. Shamika M. Kelley is the research director at Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners – The Forensic Center of Excellence where she creates and implements a structured research agenda focusing on the needs of crime victims and criminal justice stakeholders to enhance support and case processing. She received her doctoral degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. Her research focuses on survivors’, criminal-legal, and medical responses to sexual assault with special attention to survivors of Color.

Her work appears in Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Interpersonal Violence and Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. She is also a forensic DNA consultant who provides forensic reports, DNA reviews, and expert testimony in criminal cases. Shamika was recently awarded the American Society of Criminology, Division on Women and Crime’s Saltzman Award for Contributions to Practice, which recognizes a criminologist whose professional accomplishments have increased the quality of justice and the level of safety for women.

Categories
Legacies Op-eds

End of an Era

Susan Denise Hastings has been a fixture in the Katy Community for over 30 years. We here at HCDVCC, have known Susan and her outstanding dedication to helping domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and their families for over 20 years. Susan has been instrumental in the growth of Katy Christian Ministries Crisis Center. She has been a steady hand at the helm for many years and has overseen its growth into the Center it is today. Susan has also been active on several HCDVCC Committees including the Policy Committee and the Legal Services Committee. We know we can always count on Susan and KCM’s help when we needed it. I do not recall a time Susan ever said no it was more like “Well, let me see what we can do.”

As of April 1st, Susan has closed the book on her time with Katy Christian Ministries and is moving on to a life of rest and relaxation to quote her she has “gone fishing!” We wish Susan and her husband Bill, the best retirement. And knowing Susan we will be seeing her pop up occasionally, because she just can’t sit still!

Thank you, Susan, for everything you have done for so many survivors and their families. Thank you to Susan’s family for letting us spend some time with her. And I would like to say Susan- thank you for your support and kindness through the years. You are one of a kind and will be greatly missed but you are leaving the ship in good hands with Celina Wells!

About the Author

Pic of Deputy Director Amy Smith
Amy Smith is the Sr. Director of Operations and Communications of HCDVCC.
Categories
Community Share Op-eds Sexual Assault

April National Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2022

“On a journey to figure out what I am called to do with the story that has become my family’s story. One thing I know is that I must play my part to bring change.”

Founder of Project Beloved – Tracy Matheson – Molly Jane’s Momma.

Tracy Matheson founded Project Beloved in what she often refers to the aftermath of what she calls “a parent’s worst nightmare.” On April 10, 2017, in Fort Worth, Texas; Molly Matheson at 22 years old had not reported for work concerned Tracy went to Molly’s apartment to discover Molly had been raped, strangled and murdered. Less than two weeks later, in Plano, Texas, Megan Getrum who had been hiking at the Nature Preserve body was discovered deceased in Lake Ray Hubbard. Kimbro has a history of sexual violence and strangulation with charges pending from 2014; he was indicted on one charge of aggravated sexual assault in 2017 related to that case. Authorities charged Kimbro with capital murder for killing Molly.

Serial Killer/Rapist Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole – Guilty; Guilty; Guilty; Guilty; Guilty; Guilty.

Update: On March 18, 2022: Reginald Kimbro pleaded guilty to the 2017 killings of Molly Matheson of Fort Worth and Megan Getrum of Plano as well as three sexual assaults in Collin County from 2012 to 2014 and an aggravated sexual assault in Cameron County. All four victims described being drugged, strangled and raped. All four women were prepared to testify against Kimbro at trial.

Kimbro, 28, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection with the rape and murder of Molly Jane Matheson. Molly and Reginald dated in college but not been in a relationship for years. Kimbro was also sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the rape and murder of 36-year-old Megan Getrum — she was a stranger to him. Kimbro was sentenced to 20 years in the Plano case, life in the South Padre case, 20 years in the Allen case and 20 years in the McKinney case.

Molly Jane’s Law creates statewide database to track repeat sex offenders in Texas.
In 2019, David and Tracy Matheson pushed to get Molly Jane’s Law passed in the Texas Legislature. It requires law enforcement to input suspect information into a national database.

May 29, 2019, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 3106, and it became known as Molly Jane’s Law in the state of Texas, effective September 1, 2019. Molly Jane’s Law allows law enforcement agencies in Texas to communicate with one another through the use of ViCAP, which is administered by the FBI.

Working Together – We need everyone if we are going to make a difference

Law enforcement alone cannot provide all the needed support and resources to victim/survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence; it takes partnerships

HPD is proud to partner with Molly Jane’s Momma; Tracy Matheson, founder of Project Beloved a non-profit organization to install soft interview rooms for the investigations of sexual assault and domestic violence.

March 14, 2022, Monday of spring break-Tracy and her son Max installed Project Beloved Soft Interview Room #42 at our HPD Family Violence Unit to facilitate a trauma informed response funded by #HEBHelpingHere.

Project Beloved put so much care into creating a comfortable space, which includes:

  • Comfortable chairs that swivel-movement can be soothing for a survivor
  • Alternate light sources to use instead of, or in addition to, overhead lighting
  • A diffuser with lavender essential oil as a calming scent if survivor would like
  • A weighted blanket and a soft, cozy blanket (washable)
  • Stress balls to give the survivor something to hold in their hands to help relax
  • Photographic art on the walls, taken by Megan

The soft interview room will have the single purpose of providing a safe and comfortable place for survivors to share their experiences of abuse and assault.

HPD shares Project Beloved’s vision, “A world where survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence are heard and believed, perpetrators are prosecuted and justice is service.”

We need everyone if we are going to change the conversation about sexual assault and domestic violence.

To watch a powerful and moving Victim Impact Statement Molly Jane’s mother Tracy Matheson gave at the defendant’s sentencing click on the link:

Each life lost, and their families-matter-they continue to be remembered, and that they contribute to the demand for change

Molly Jane Matheson
May 18, 1994 – April 10, 2017

Project Beloved was founded to bring light, Molly Jane’s light, to the darkness which followed after her rape and murder.

Megan Gutrum September 12, 1980 – April 15, 2017 Project Beloved honors the legacy of Megan Getrum and her spirt of adventure as revealed in the photographs on the walls.

About the Author

Lieutenant Kira Webster
Houston Police Department
Major Assaults & Family Violence Division
Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council Member- Intimate Partner Death Review; Harris County High Risk Team; Harris County Policy Working Group; Harris County Law Enforcement Weekly Check-In & Harris County Strangulation Task Force

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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