Statistics show the extreme need for increased resources for victims, yet Harris County’s domestic violence response system is underfunded and faces staggering shortages:

• Since 2022, Harris County has led the state in intimate partner violence homicides

• Calls to domestic violence shelters have surpassed pre-pandemic levels

• 75% of people seeking shelter are turned away

• Harris County has only 330 beds for 4.7 million residents – one bed for every 14,000 residents

• New York City has approximately 10 times the number of shelter beds despite having less than two times the population of Harris County

Investing in solutions, advancing justice

The Harris County Domestic Violence System Coordination and Support Services project aims to decrease the turn-away rate by at least 10% over the next four years by:

• Building capacity in personnel and resources

• Improving community outreach

• Establishing and maintaining public and private funding partnerships

• Using data-driven evaluations to update best practices

An initial award of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Flexible funding will go to the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) to lead the new effort, with three one-year renewal options.

“Everyone deserves to be safe and free from violence,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones. “Making that a reality means ensuring Harris County must effectively support survivors. This investment is a crucial step toward addressing the urgent needs of survivors while building a sustainable and collaborative system to break the cycle of abuse.I am thankful to Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia, HAWC, and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council for their continued partnership, and the Biden-Harris Administration for this federal funding.”

With this latest investment, Harris County has committed nearly $20 million in ARPA and General funds to combat domestic violence since 2022. Additional initiatives include the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, Early Childhood Resiliency Fund, and Emergency Response Docket.

“In Texas, the domestic violence crisis is intensified by state policies that have made it easier to access guns and harder to access reproductive healthcare. But in Harris County, we are engaged in a full-court press against domestic violence, utilizing robust and holistic approaches aimed at prevention and supporting survivors.  Today’s investment in better response systems is one more tool in our toolbox, and one more example of our community coming together—survivors, advocates, policymakers, and community members—to end the scourge of domestic violence,” said Commissioner Rodney Ellis.

 “As the former Harris County Sheriff, I’ve seen first-hand the brutal horrors of violence against women,” said Commissioner Garcia. “Bringing perpetrators to justice will always be part of fighting this epidemic – but it’s not enough. Survivors and their families deserve specialized care and better access to services that break the vicious cycle of domestic violence. This grant will be transformative because it will supercharge the work already being done by a network of local organizations, scaling it up to support as many survivors as possible.”

“The Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) is honored to receive this investment from the County to improve the coordination of life-saving services for survivors of domestic violence. In cooperation with our sister agencies, we look forward to addressing this alarming public health crisis which results in horrific rates of femicide. Harris County can and will do better,” said Emilee D. Whitehurst, President and CEO, HAWC.

“HCDVCC is grateful to Harris County leadership for prioritizing safety for survivors,” said Barbie Brashear. “This funding provides a unique opportunity to listen deeply to the needs of those affected by domestic violence and work to improve how our community responds in ways that meet their unique and important challenges.”

“This funding will do enormous good by expanding services for survivors, improving coordination, and enabling better data collection to inform future policy. We are deeply grateful to Commissioner Briones and the Commissioners Court for this bold step toward making our region safer, said Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, Director of the University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality.

For more information on domestic violence resources visit hawc.org, hcdvcc.org, and tcfv.org/ok. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.