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The 2013 Update to the Texas State Plan:

Access to Safety, Justice and Opportunity: A Blueprint for Domestic Violence

Interventions in Texas

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Family violence threatens the lives of over 79,000 Texans each year.1 As the second most

populous state in the United States with the most counties, creating a State Plan that can serve as

a blueprint for the availability of family violence services represents a unique challenge. In an

effort to continue Texas’ statewide response to this critical issue, the 2013 update to the Texas

State Plan provides in-depth insight into the availability of, and need for, family violence

services across the state as seen through the eyes of a survivor of family violence attempting to

seek services.

This project originated with a 2001 mandate by the Texas Legislature directing the agency now

known as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to develop and maintain a

plan for delivering family violence services, commonly referred to as the ‘State Plan.’ The 2013

update to the State Plan had many components beginning with focus groups the Texas Council on

Family Violence (TCFV) conducted with executive directors from across the state in order to gain

a deeper understanding of the unmet needs of underserved populations in Texas. After these focus

groups, TCFV commissioned the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at

The University of Texas at Austin to develop and collect information from 91 service providers

across Texas via a 176-item structured questionnaire regarding the geographic distribution of core

and additional support services, underserved populations, emerging initiatives, among other items.

This survey ultimately had a 100% response rate.

Following the completion of this survey, questions remained unanswered about how availability

of services correlated to the need and how to best target the critical funds aimed to provide

interventions that promote the safety of survivors and their children. In order to answer these

questions, TCFV again collaborated with IDVSA to analyze a variety of statistics currently

available in Texas on family violence in order to gain a better understanding of the county-level

needs for family violence services and the role demographics play in analyzing the need for

services.2 The results contained in this summary, and the full State Plan update, arose from these

cumulative efforts.

1 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012. 2 These statistics included the family violence service numbers collected by HHSC, family violence incidents as reported by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas-specific family violence prevalence statistics, and a variety of measures from the United States Census.

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Key Findings:

County Coverage:

In Texas, programs stretch to provide services to a vast geographic area in order to reach as

many survivors of family violence as possible. While 66% of Texas counties have some form of

physical access point for services, only 27% of these counties have a family violence shelter.

The remaining 39% of counties have a physical presence via an outreach office, nonresidential

center, or office in a partner location, which can be open regularly or on varying days of the

week. 26% (or 67 counties) offer access points via meeting a survivor at an agreed location, but

a survivor must call for services first. 7% of counties (or 19) have no access point currently past

meeting at the county line.3

Core Chapter 51 & Additional Support Services:

With few exceptions, the core comprehensive services outlined in Chapter 51 of the Texas

Human Resource Code are widely available in the primary county a family violence program

serves, particularly those funded by HHSC. These services include critical supports for

survivors such as access to emergency shelter and hotlines and advocacy services focused on the

safety of the survivor. Surveyors also asked respondents about the supportive services they offer

to survivors in their community such as childcare, legal representation, and housing. As in past

iterations of the State Plan, in order to facilitate widespread access to the availability of these

services, TCFV created charts, to help survivors, funders, and other interested parties to examine

available services in their county. To learn more go to:

http://www.tcfv.org/stateplan/programs.html

Underserved Populations:

Due to Texas’ unique makeup as a state where the average percentage of residents who speak a

language other than English in the home far exceeds the national average, limited English

proficient survivors represent one of the most critical underserved populations.4 In order to meet

this need family violence programs strive to enhance their access to bilingual services. A

majority of organizations, 84%, reported having a bilingual Spanish-English hotline. Of those,

over half reported having bilingual advocates available on the hotline for over 75% of the time.

All but two organizations reported having Spanish-English bilingual staff, and more than half of

organizations reported that bilingual services are available 100% of the time.

In addition to survivors with limited English proficiency, the State Plan process most often

identified the following populations as underserved in Texas:

Survivors with mental health and/or substance abuse concerns

Communities of Color

3 The 2013 data update shows that 8 of these counties now have some form of access. 4 United States Census Bureau. Texas State and County QuickFacts. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48000.html (Accessed May 5th,

2013.)

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o African-American

o Asian communities

LGBTQ

Men

Youth

Survivors from rural areas

This state-specific audit allows for a directed approach to enhancing services to survivors from

these communities; however, family violence centers must develop policies and procedures that

create supportive and accessible services for all survivors of family violence who may be from

an underserved population.

Success of Targeted Initiatives:

In recent years, the movement against domestic violence has targeted key initiatives in the efforts

to intervene and prevent violence. TCFV has supported many of these pieces at the state level.

The State Plan indicates these strategic efforts have yielded strong results evidenced in statistics

that show that 80% of all respondents safety plan around survivor use of technology and 60%

regularly offer financial literacy education. Another marker of this success is the widespread

work in the arena of primary prevention occurring across the state, which has the goal of

preventing violence before it starts. According to the State Plan, nearly one-half of all programs

report that they integrate primary prevention into all areas of the agency’s work, an additional

area of emphasis by TCFV.

Barriers:

The State Plan also asked respondents qualitative questions that focused on survivors’ unmet

needs as well as potential barriers to accessing services. Respondents identified finances and

housing as the most common barriers to safety for their clients, indicating a need for further

investments in these areas.

When asked the reasons organizations are not able to provide services to a person seeking

services, an interesting dichotomy of response resulted. Along with capacity issues, respondents

offered that they would either never turn a survivor of family violence away or that perceived

eligibility issues (i.e. caller is not a survivor of family violence) or past issues with the survivor’s

behavior in shelter may prevent them from offering service. Because many survivors of family

violence already experience barriers in leaving the abusive relationship, ranging from financial

isolation to fear of retaliation from their batterer, this data indicates a need to work together as a

state to ameliorate these additional barriers.

Availability & Need:

This analysis showed that there are county-level characteristics that relate to the potential need

for family violence services that might help to identify areas in need of funding. Above all else,

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the population density of a county ranked as the number one indicator of need. For females,

however, additional county characteristics indicated in increase in need for rural counties,

counties located on the Texas-Mexico Border, and counties with higher percentages of women

aged 20-24. To review the full findings of this analysis and review state maps go to:

http://www.tcfv.org/stateplan/index.html

FAMILY VIOLENCE PROGRAM SURVEY

The Texas Council on Family Violence

The Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) is the state coalition against family

violence, founded in 1978 with the mission of ending family violence through partnerships,

advocacy, and direct services for survivors of family violence and their families. TCFV realizes

this vision through our support to service providers, advocacy on behalf of family violence

survivors with the state government and legislature, and through the development and

implementation of prevention programs focused on ending family violence at its root causes. As

a nonprofit membership organization, TCFV is comprised of nearly 1000 members who are family

violence service providers, supportive organizations, survivors of family violence, businesses and

professionals, communities of faith, and individual Texans committed to ending family violence.

TCFV works in close collaboration with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Family Violence Program (HHSC FVP), who distributes federal Family Violence Prevention and

Services Act (FVPSA) funding, as well as a variety other state and federal funding through

contracts with eligible family violence shelters and nonresidential centers. TCFV collaborates

with HHSC to provide contracted centers with technical assistance, training, and support. Included

in these efforts is the drafting of this document, the Texas State Plan for family violence services

entitled Access to Safety, Justice, and Opportunity: A Blueprint for Domestic Violence

Interventions in Texas.

The State Plan

The Initiative

In 2001, the Texas Legislature directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (then

the Texas Department of Human Services) to develop and maintain an ongoing plan for delivering

family violence services across the state. The required state plan must “consider the geographic

distribution of services and the need for services, including the need for increasing services for

underserved populations.”5 Codified in Chapter 51 of the Texas Human Resources Code, which

also outlines the core family violence services (referred to throughout this document as ‘Chapter

51 services’) HHSC-funded centers must provide to family violence survivors, the State Plan

serves as a reference point for all funding distributed by HHSC.

FVPSA funding also requires that states formulate a plan for delivering services to family violence

survivors, including the geographic distribution of services and the need for services for

5 Texas Human Resource Code Ann. § 51.0021

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underserved populations.6 The document must account for the delivery of culturally appropriate

services that address the unmet needs of underserved populations, and improve access to services

for these communities.

With 254 counties in the state, creating and implementing a state plan for services to all Texans

affected by family violence stands as an ongoing challenge. Adequately serving survivors living

in a variety of settings, from dense urban areas to isolated rural communities, requires sufficient

funding and effective planning. As the second most heavily populated state in the country, Texas

remains underfunded in contrast to the alarming rate at which intimate partner violence occurs in

our communities. In 2012, over 79,000 survivors received family violence services, yet we know

this number represents only a small percentage of survivors: family violence is an underreported

crime.7 In 2011, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that 177,983 Texan victims of

family violence,8 and TCFV’s report entitled Honoring Texas Victims – Family Violence Fatalities

in 2012 chronicled the sobering reality that an intimate partner murdered 114 women that year.9

The disparity between need and funding puts emphasis on creating a plan that stretches resources

to every corner of the state; the accurate depiction of where survivors can access all the services

and help they need ranks as the fundamental goal of this State Plan.

Meaningful Access: Through the Eyes of Survivors

The updated State Plan focuses on the availability of services through the eyes of survivors. This

approach considers meaningful and viable access by determining the ready availability of services

within a survivor’s county, or that an individual or family can reasonably access in a nearby county.

Survivor experiences have informed service design in Texas over the years, and continue to take

the primary role in the state’s planning process. The following considerations represent just a few,

among many, needs survivors seek to address when accessing services.

Each survivor, whether fleeing as an individual or as a parent with children, has unique needs and

requires individualized advocacy and safety planning in order to achieve safety and independence

from an abusive relationship. In order to facilitate meaningful access and successful outcomes for

each survivor, service delivery must incorporate consideration of economic status, cultural, ethnic,

religious, gender and sexual identity, language, special accommodation for persons with

disabilities, and even family relationships.

Intervention services for survivors must employ flexibility in order to accommodate a myriad of

safety concerns, because the effective design and delivery of services has life-saving implications.

Programs have enhanced support services beyond shelter in order to respond to unique safety

needs, such as working with a survivor whose abuser may have the technological means to track

the survivor’s attempts at fleeing. One survivor may struggle with her faith while contemplating

6 Underserved populations include populations underserved because of geographic location (such as rural isolation), underserved racial and ethnic populations, populations underserved because of special needs (such as language barriers, disabilities, immigration status, or age), lesbian, gay,

bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) individuals, adolescents and at-risk youth, and survivors with disabilities. 7 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012. 8 Texas Department of Public Safety. The Texas Crime Report for 2011. Available at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/crimereports/11/citCh5.pdf

(accessed August 6, 2013.) 9 Texas Council on Family Violence. Honoring Texas Victims: Family Violence Fatalities 2012. Available at http://www.tcfv.org/our-work/honoring-texas-victims (accessed December, 10th 2013.)

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a split with an abusive spouse, while another survivor may struggle to find the courage to ask for

help for violence occurring in a same-sex relationship.

Survivors may also encounter additional barriers including complex legal issues such as child

custody battles, divorce, and immigration status; financial barriers including low or no income,

poor housing records, and lack of concrete resources like childcare and transportation; and limited

education and employment histories. Although family violence programs continue to develop

innovative programming and support services to respond to the many additional needs of survivors

and their children, they lack sufficient funding and resources to fully address all of these issues.

State Plan Methodology

In collaboration with the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at the

University of Texas at Austin and the Health and Human Services Commission Family Violence

Program (HHSC FVP), TCFV created this updated State Plan. We thank the family violence

service providers who took time away from the valuable and demanding work they do with

survivors to provide the thorough and accurate information that informs this plan.

Initial steps for updating the State Plan began with the development of a survey instrument for

service providers, and an accompanying process for garnering a high response rate. 176 survey

questions were developed by gathering input from IDVSA and TCFV staff, many of whom brought

direct experiences working with survivors to the task. Additionally, TCFV’s report, Meeting the

Need, shaped the design of survey questions specific to the unmet needs of family violence

survivors and underserved populations. The report provides an analysis of data on unmet need

gathered from executive directors who participated in focus groups during the summer of 2011.

The resulting questionnaire gathered information on the following seven topics and asked

respondents to identify those services they provide directly, not by referral:

1. Numbers of Victims Served: Victims served include a breakdown of the numbers of

adults and children who received residential and non-residential services during the

most recent fiscal year.

2. Core Chapter 51 Services: Required services provided directly or in-person,

including: 24 hour-a-day shelter and/or crisis call hotline, emergency medical care,

intervention services, emergency transportation, legal assistance in the civil and

criminal justice system, educational arrangements for children, information about

training / seeking employment, a referral system to community services, cooperation

with criminal justice officials, community education, volunteer recruitment and

training program, and services for children.

3. Additional Support Services: Additional support services are services provided

directly or in-person, including transitional or permanent housing, temporary

financial assistance, assistance with Crime Victims’ Compensation, child care,

counseling, legal representation, court accompaniment, immigration assistance,

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substance abuse services, child care, professional counseling, support groups, and

assistance with food, clothing, and household items.

4. Marginalized or Underserved Populations: These populations include clients who

are: over age 65, men, teenage boys, persons with mobility disabilities, persons who

are d/Deaf, persons with mental illness, persons with substance abuse issues, persons

with limited English proficiency, persons identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

Transgender, Questioning, or Intersex (LGBTQI), military families, unaccompanied

minors, victims of human trafficking, and refugees and asylees.

5. Emerging Initiatives: The survey questionnaire included eight additional topics:

batterer intervention services, family violence fatality review teams, teen dating abuse,

technology, economic justice, primary prevention, stalking, and partnerships and

collaboration.

6. Barriers to Service: Barriers to services refers to common reasons why

organizations may not be able to provide services to someone seeking services,

including safety and eligibility related issues.

7. Agency Revenues & Expenditures: The survey contained questions related to center

revenues and expenditures to try to capture trends in both areas by center size and by

region of the state. TCFV did not include this in the formal State Plan, instead using

this information in other settings related to allocating funds.

In the winter of 2011, IDVSA sent the comprehensive survey via a web-based questionnaire to the

ninety known dedicated family violence service providers, including organizations serving

underserved communities.10 IDVSA and TCFV staff interviewed the remaining organizations that

did not respond to the online survey in the spring of 2012. Feedback from all of the family violence

providers surveyed, at a 100% response rate, is included in this report, representing 246 of the 254

counties in Texas.

The survey also included Special Nonresidential Project (SNRP) centers. A SNRP is a type of

HHSC-funded nonresidential center that provides at least one specialized family violence service,

such as legal representation or targeted outreach to an underserved population. Currently funded

special projects include targeted services to persons who are d/Deaf, African American and

Hispanic women, immigrant communities, and primary prevention with youth. Twelve of the

special projects also have a shelter or nonresidential center contract with HHSC. The four centers

that do not hold additional contracts are included in the data in their primary county, although they

typically provide services to large regional areas and may even offer statewide access within their

issue expertise.

The questionnaire’s considerable length as well as the complexity in approaches to delivering

services from community to community necessitated a final error-checking phase of program

10 Although the survey restricted its scope to dedicated family violence programs, TCFV realizes survivors typically access additional services

throughout the community in order to meet all of their complex needs.

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responses. In the spring of 2013, TCFV contacted all programs surveyed to verify responses given,

with clarifying questions posed individually to programs via email and telephone contact.

An assessment of how survivors may reasonably expect to connect to services has safety at the

root of the analysis. While extreme instances of abuse involving an elevated safety risk may lead

to relocation to another community for some survivors, traveling into another county to enter

shelter or access other services is not safe or feasible for every survivor seeking assistance.

Therefore, in order to determine accessibility, the survey went into greater detail regarding

program presence in additional counties claimed outside of the primary county in which the shelter

resides. Responses indicate that many programs maintain a physical presence in additional

counties by providing creative and flexible solutions to access, including providing advocacy and

intervention services at partner agencies, meeting survivors at an agreed upon safe location in the

survivor’s county, meeting survivors at the county line, or arranging for law enforcement to drive

a survivor to shelter.

The State Plan provides an in-depth analysis of accessibility through survey results that summarize

the availability of services in each county reported. Called the Current Depth of Service

Availability, this section of the State Plan compiles this information in county depth charts and can

be located at http://www.tcfv.org/stateplan/programs.html. Additional details from this assessment

is also located later in the document under the section header entitled ‘County Coverage.’

Although many organizations technically cover several counties, the questionnaire attempted to

gauge the depth of an organizations’ presence and survivors’ access to services in each county.

Via the survey responses, the State Plan shows that 246 counties have some form of family

violence service in Texas, using the following levels of presence:

Organization has a shelter in the county

Organization has an outreach office in the county

Organization has an additional shelter in the county

Organization provides in-person services, meeting client at a partner agency in the county

Organization has in-person meetings with clients at an agreed-upon location in the county

Organization has in-person meetings with clients at the county line

Organization provides in-person services to residents of the county but does not provide

any transportation

Along with required Chapter 51 services and additional support services, programs have responded

to survey questions regarding the delivery of services relating to other emerging issues. Emerging

issues addressed within the State Plan include batterer intervention services, family violence

fatality review teams, teen dating abuse, safe use of technology, economic justice, primary

prevention, stalking, and community partnerships and collaborations. Additional emerging issues

not explored in this report that would benefit from further analysis include safe visitation

challenges and the navigation of co-parenting with an abuser.

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Finally, the direct experiences of survivors as conveyed to TCFV staff through listening projects

with survivors or via technical assistance calls helped inform this State Plan.11 The experiences

conveyed by survivors through these processes regarding understanding of the availability and

accessibility of services and resources have been woven into this narrative when applicable.

SURVEY RESULTS

Number of Victims Served

Texas has experienced a large increase to the state population necessitating an increased need, and

ability, for family violence programs to serve survivors. In just 10 years, Texas’ population grew

by 20.6% 12 while family violence programs served 20.25% 13 more survivors of family violence

and their children. The number of days of services offered to these families, which can be a marker

of need for these services, saw an even larger relative increase than the population with a growth

rate of nearly 35% in the same 10 years.14 Sadly, in the face of this overwhelming response to the

need for services, 26.5% of adults requesting shelter were denied due to lack of space.15

The number of survivors served annually in Texas varies widely between communities. For

example, one agency reported serving seven adults in non-residential services, while another

agency reported providing services to 9,500 adults in non-residential services. See below for the

total numbers served in shelter and through non-residential services in 2012:16

• Adults sheltered: 11,994

• Children sheltered: 14,534

• Adults receiving nonresidential services (i.e., counseling, legal advocacy, etc.): 36,831

• Children receiving nonresidential services: 15,694

• Hotline calls answered: 191,301

Chapter 51 Core Emergency Services

Programs have identified each county in which they provide Chapter 51 services directly or in-

person (not by referral), which include:

1. 24 Hour-A-Day Shelter: 24-Hour-A-Day Shelter refers to a shelter facility that provides

access, admittance, and temporary emergency residence for survivors of family violence

24 hours a day, every day of the year. This does not include using a hotel to provide

shelter services, or homeless shelter not designed specifically for survivors of family

violence.

11 TCFV defines a listening project as a confidential, in-depth group interview carefully designed to gather honest and open accounts of survivor experiences. 12 United States Census Bureau. TEXAS - 2010 Census Results Percent Change in Population by County: 2000 to 2010.

http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/pdfs/2010pop/tx_perchange_2010map.pdf (accessed August 6th, 2013) 13 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012. 14 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Service Day Data. 15 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012. 16 Id.

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2. Crisis Call Hotline Available 24 Hours a Day: The Crisis Call Hotline Available 24-

Hours-A-Day refers to a telephone number answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year

by trained volunteers or employees. The hotline provides the following services:

immediate intervention through safety planning, including assessing for danger;

understanding and support; and information, education, and referrals to survivors of family

violence.

3. Emergency Medical Care: Emergency Medical Care is assistance in responding to any

urgent medical situation for a resident, nonresident, program participant, or survivor of

family violence being considered for acceptance to or accessing family violence services.

4. Intervention Services: Intervention Services are individual or group services for survivors

of family violence that include safety planning, understanding and support, advocacy, case

management, information & education, and resource assistance.

5. Emergency Transportation: Emergency Transportation includes providing or arranging

transportation for survivors of family violence who are seeking shelter services either to

and from emergency medical facilities and/or from a safe place to the shelter.

6. Legal Assistance in the Civil and Criminal Justice System: Legal Assistance with the

Civil and Criminal Justice Systems are services to survivors of family violence that include

identifying individual legal needs; explaining legal rights and options, inclusive of

protective orders; providing support and accompaniment in the pursuit of those options;

assisting in safety planning; and providing advocacy, including assistance with self-

representation.

7. Educational Arrangements for Children: Educational Arrangements for Children are

services that result in a child of a survivor of family violence complying with compulsory

attendance requirements found in the Texas Education Code as well as accessing rights

available via the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

8. Information About Training / Seeking Employment: Information About Training For

and Seeking Employment includes providing information and referrals to survivors of

family violence about employment training and employment opportunities, either directly

or through formal arrangements with other organizations.

9. Referral System to Community Services: A Referral System to Existing Community

Resources refers to maintaining a current and available referral list of resources available

in the county.

10. Cooperation with Criminal Justice Officials: Cooperation with Criminal Justice

Officials involves making efforts on behalf of family violence survivors to: 1) establish

ongoing working relationships with the local criminal justice system, including but not

limited to law enforcement, prosecutors, the courts, and probation and parole departments;

and 2) educate the local criminal justice system about family violence and the need for

policies that ensure safety for survivors of family violence and hold batterers accountable.

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11. Community Education: Community education refers to efforts or activities to increase

public awareness about family violence and the availability of services for survivors of

family violence. Programs are also raising awareness by addressing additional topics in

community education, including emerging issues with the safe use of technology and

stalking victimization.

12. Volunteer Recruitment & Training Program: Volunteer recruitment is a process for

soliciting a diverse group of people from the community to work as nonpaid staff and

providing them with information about family violence and services for survivors of

family violence through a structured orientation.

13. Services for Children: Services for Children refers to age appropriate services for

children who are survivors of family violence or who accompany survivors of family

violence, and includes individual or group advocacy or counseling with children.

In Texas, 82 programs receive funding from HHSC. In total, this includes 68 Shelter Centers and

10 Nonresidential Centers, as well as 16 Family Violence Special Projects of which four are stand-

alone and do not have an additional contract with HHSC.17 In addition to these programs,

surveyors for the State Plan solicited responses from nine additional dedicated family violence

programs and community organizations in order to assess the availability of services to survivors

of family violence.

County Coverage

Although 66% of Texas counties have some form of physical access point for services, only 27%

of these counties have a family violence shelter. The remaining 39% of counties have a physical

presence via an outreach office, nonresidential center, or office in a partner location, which are

typically open on varying days of the week. 26% (or 67 counties) offer access points via meeting

a survivor at an agreed location, but a survivor must call for services first. 7% of counties (or 19)

have no access point currently past meeting at the county line.18

The availability of Chapter 51 services in an agency’s primary county, typically the county where

their program is physically located, is widespread. In addition, providers may offer many

additional core services utilizing a network of counties that family violence program serves. To

learn more about where and what is available review the chart entitled ‘Availability of Chapter 51

Core Comprehensive Services.’

The maximum capacity at shelters varies greatly, with the smallest shelter able to serve six

residents at a time, while the shelter with the largest capacity can serve 200 residents. Accordingly,

the number of beds available per shelter ranges from six beds to 174 beds.

17 Shelter Centers, Nonresidential Centers, and Family Violence Special Project are defined in Texas Human Resource Code Ann. 51.002 18 The 2013 data update shows that eight of these counties now have some form of access.

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Shelters often adhere to a maximum length of stay policy in order to reduce waitlist times and keep

services available to survivors in the community, though the policy is flexible and typically

includes an individual safety assessment before a survivor exits. Maximum length of stay policies

vary from shelter to shelter, ranging from 15 days to up to 360 days, with the average length

residents tend to stay in shelter at 35 days. This data teaches us that shorter length of stay policies

do not sufficiently support survivors; it typically takes just over a month to transition out of shelter.

A staff member in one listening project shared insight on just how counterintuitive a length of stay

policy can be saying, “It’s hard to talk about safety and limited time simultaneously. It’s a lot of

pressure and stress on the client.”19

While most shelters in Texas maintain confidential locations, some shelters have gone public. 63

shelters, or 86%, report that the shelter location is confidential, while 10 shelters, or 14%, report

that the location is public. Each shelter center maintains a safety plan and security policies that

include considerations for status as a public or confidential location. Shelters maintaining

confidential locations must be realistic about their visibility within the community, particularly

with the rise in technology such as Google maps and other geo-mapping services. Confidential

locations must also plan as public locations do regarding the safety and security of residents and

staff, preparing for the likelihood of an abuser showing up at their doorstep via tracking

technology.

The majority of programs have crisis call hotlines with between two and four telephone lines in

operation. Two of the largest programs in Texas are operating 25 phone lines at each of their

respective crisis centers.

Programs use hotlines as a main entry point into services; organizations also have other methods

to inform survivors of family violence about services and to connect with advocates. A vast

majority of programs offer access to services through a drop-in method, and over half provide

services through technology such as email. Texting and online chat is beginning to occur with

some frequency, however, other methods of technology such as an organization’s website or social

media site are utilized less often.

Additional Support Services

In addition to core emergency services surveyors collected data on the availability of additional

support services, which included:

1. Transitional Housing: Between 6 and 24 months of temporary housing with support

services for survivors of family violence.

2. Permanent Housing: Housing that a survivor of family violence could reside in for as

long as he or she chooses.

3. Temporary Financial Assistance: Direct case assistance for emergencies (such as gas,

car repairs, rent utilities, childcare) which can include vouchers or food cards, but does not

include referrals for organizations that provide financial assistance.

19 Texas Council on Family Violence. ReCentered Report.

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4. Nonemergency Transportation: Assistance with daily transportation needs.

5. Crime Victims Compensation (CVC): Assistance to survivors of family violence with

applying for and obtaining CVC benefits.

6. Legal Representation: On-staff or formally contracted attorney who takes individual

cases for survivors of family violence.

7. Court Accompaniment: Attending protective order hearings or other civil or criminal

court proceedings with a survivor of family violence.

8. Immigration Assistance: Legal assistance, advocacy, and/or representation regarding

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition.

9. Substance Abuse Services: On-site inpatient or outpatient clinical treatment for substance

abuse.

10. Childcare: Providing on-site childcare and/or assistance for arranging and paying for

childcare such as vouchers.

11. Counseling: Individual or family counseling provided by a licensed professional.

12. Support Groups: Voluntary groups provided by a non-licensed leader for survivors of

family violence.

13. Clothing, Food, and Household Goods: Directly offering one of these items to survivors

of family violence.

Housing

As in past iterations of the State Plan, respondents listed housing as one of the most necessary

services to support survivors’ transitions to safety and stability. The shortage of affordable housing

across the state is particularly daunting for family violence survivors who must make safety the

top priority when selecting housing. Over the years, funding streams have developed that offer a

variety of housing solutions for survivors and, in particular, transitional and permanent housing.

The supportive services offered with these housing models have similar features in that they both

often have case management, safety planning and other support services added to the financial

aspect of housing assistance, but core differences for survivors do exist between the two.

Transitional housing typically is available for a shorter window of time, 6-24 months; permanent

housing is not time-limited. Both of these options represent important services, but for some

survivors of family violence transitional housing offers an interim housing step when a safety risk

associated with fleeing the abusive relationship presents itself.

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Family violence centers often use state and federal housing funding sources to support these

housing efforts and the State Plan shows that in Texas these include:

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Supportive Housing Program (SHP)

Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

City Government and Tax Credits

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) funds such as the Emergency

Solutions Grants Program

Mainstream Supports

Family violence survivors connect to mainstream supports to alleviate financial crisis and assist

with the transition to self-sufficiency. Common support services include Crime Victims’

Compensation (CVC), utility waivers, or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). State

Plan results show the potentiality that these options may be underutilized as the majority of

respondents indicate that less than 50% of survivors are using these critical supports.

Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC)

Survivors of family violence access CVC offered through the Texas Office of the Attorney General

for assistance with medical and counseling services, relocation and rental expenses, as well as

other kinds of help.20 25 centers report that 25% to 49% of the survivors they serve seek this form

of assistance. 50 centers, however, report that survivors pursue this resource less than 24% of the

time. This may result from barriers in receiving this funding source, as outlined in the table below,

or could be for other reasons that could benefit from further exploration.

Main Barriers to Receiving CVC

Barriers Number of organizations

Non-cooperation with law enforcement (*As

determined by the Office of Attorney General for the purpose

of a Crime Victims Compensation Application)

44

Not eligible 40

Moved from shelter 13

Did not submit needed forms 30

Utility Waivers

Utility waivers can be a tremendous source of financial assistance for survivors when they move

into new housing after separating from an abuser, allowing for a waiver of deposit while

connecting new utility service for telephones, electricity, or gas. Only utility companies governed

by the Public Utility Commission must honor the waiver of deposit for family violence survivors,

20 Attorney General of Texas. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/about_comp.shtml (Accessed August 6, 2013.)

15

though some programs have advocated effectively to establish agreements with other providers as

well.

Percentage of Survivors Served Using Utility Waivers

Percentage Number of organizations

Zero 6

1% to 24% 38

25% to 49% 19

50% to 74% 10

Over 75% 10

TANF

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, is a form of cash assistance provided as a

public benefit. Although the monthly award is modest, it is an important resource for survivors

with no or low income who are not receiving child support, a common status when separating from

an abuser.

Percentage of Organizations’ Clients that Utilize TANF

Percentage Number of organizations

Zero 3

1% to 24% 24

25% to 49% 23

50% to 74% 20

Over 75% 13

Family violence survivors may not feel that they can safely apply for TANF, however, because it

requires complying with work requirements and filing for child support, which may place the

survivor in danger or increase their fear of retaliation from their batterer. Survivors may exercise

the Family Violence Option or Good Cause Waiver to bypass this process, but not all survivors

know about this option.

Programs perceive the number of survivors with knowledge of the family violence option or good

cause waiver to be relatively low, as illustrated in the following table.

Percentage of Survivors Perceived to Know About the Availability of the Family Violence

Option (or Good Cause Waiver)

Percentage Number of organizations

Zero 6

1% to 24% 40

16

25% to 49% 16

50% to 74% 9

Over 75% 12

Program Supports

In addition to emergency transportation to shelter, most programs provide some amount of non-

emergency transportation to meet the needs of clients, such as attending court and other

appointments in the community, and applying for public benefits, housing, and employment.

Some programs limit transportation to shelter residents or for court appearances only, as this

resource can be costly, involving staff time off-site, potential liability with employee and company

vehicles, and gas and maintenance costs. Such expenses limit some programs to bus passes where

public transportation is available or taxi vouchers on a limited basis. In addition to mainstream

support, the State Plan indicates that nearly all of the programs in Texas facilitate direct access to

basic need items such as clothing, food, and household items.

Immigration Assistance

Immigration assistance at family violence centers range from having bilingual advocates with

some amount of training in assisting clients with immigration remedies, such as VAWA self-

petitioning, to the ability to provide attorney resources onsite or through a formal relationship with

a community partner such as a pro-bono private attorney, Texas Advocacy Project (TAP), or a

Texas Legal Aid. Centers also reach out and form relationships with local law enforcement in

order to increase understanding of, and facilitate access to, applicable certifications for survivors’

of family violence related to immigration filing requirements.

Even with the resources mentioned above, programs report the ability to locate the necessary

immigration assistance for survivors of family violence continues to be a significant unmet need.

Programs also report that immigrant communities are often underserved due the complexity of the

issues present, which may include additional barriers such as language access.

Child Care

Childcare assistance represents a crucial, basic need for survivors and in response to this reality

family violence centers commonly provide or facilitate this service. Childcare services represent

a variety of options, including those offered on-site and regulated by the Texas Department of

Family Protective Services (DFPS), non-regulated on-site childcare, and vouchers to external

childcare services.

Most often, family violence centers support childcare on-site through informal arrangements, such

as babysitting contracts between residents, or through volunteer and staff supervision while the

parent is nearby and receiving services. 14 programs have vouchers available to assist clients with

child care at local day care centers. To date, about ten shelters operate DFPS-regulated childcare

centers, serving seven or more children at a time three or more days a week.

17

Professional Counseling

About two-thirds of Texas programs provide professional counseling, an extremely valuable

support service. Many organizations have no wait time for counseling services, while most

organizations report a wait time of less than one week. 17 programs report clients experience a

wait time between 2 to 4 weeks.

Systemic Efforts

Battering Intervention and Prevention Program Services (BIPPs)

BIPPs consist of groups for family violence offenders, in which offenders are held accountable for

past abusive behavior as well as learning about the fundamentals of leading a nonviolent lifestyle.

Although BIPPs work directly with offenders, these programs prioritize enhancing the safety of

survivors of family violence and their children. Almost 31% of family violence programs provide

batterer intervention services in-house. Batterer intervention programs served an average of 293

clients during the past fiscal year (2010), with reported numbers served at each program ranging

from two to 1270.

Of the 27 organizations that provide services, 13 conduct groups only, while 14 organizations offer

both group and individual services. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice and fee collection

fund a majority of batterer intervention services. Others received additional funding from

additional government grants, foundations, United Way, private donors, and city or county

contracts.

Programs report that clients are referred both at pre-trial and post-trial stages of the criminal justice

process. Referring entities most commonly include probation, parole, and court systems, followed

closely by Child Protective Services. Only two programs report self-referral for battering

intervention services.

A majority of centers use the Domestic Abuse Intervention Program (Duluth model) curriculum.

Others reported using Emerge, Men@Work, Alternatives to Domestic Violence, and facilitator-

developed curriculum. Programs offered to batterers range in length between 18 and 40 weeks.

Programs typically charge participants by session, and fees range from $10 to $55 per session.

Others charge for the full courses, and costs range from $250 to $700. The majority of programs

offer a sliding scale fee primarily based on income.

Domestic Violence Fatality Review Teams

A domestic violence fatality review team (DVFRT) is an interdisciplinary collection of service

providers that take a nonjudgmental, solution-focused, look at the response to family violence

homicides by reviewing specific cases in a community. The majority of programs are very to

somewhat familiar with these review teams, 30% of programs have fatality review teams in their

communities, and all but three of those actively participate in the team.

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Participants involved in these teams include survivors, direct service providers, law enforcement,

coroners, medical professionals, and district attorneys. In most of the communities in which

DVFRTs operate, family violence service programs provide team leadership; district attorney’s

offices lead 2 DVFRTs relying strongly on collaboration with professionals such as coroners, law

enforcement, medical doctors and family violence programs. Only a handful of respondents who

participate in teams knew the number of cases reviewed during the past year. These reports ranged

from two cases to 57 cases.

Primary Prevention

Along with the rest of the nation, Texas has enhanced its focus on primary prevention in order to

end family violence before it starts. TCFV and programs have targeted a diverse range of areas of

emphasis including schools, men and boys, communities of faith, health care providers, and sports

groups. Overall, family violence programs conceptualize prevention as a holistic response and

incorporate it across their agency.

Organizational Primary Prevention Efforts

Primary prevention efforts Number of organizations

All staff are trained on primary prevention. 17

Primary prevention is included in the mission statement. 14

Primary prevention messages are included in

promotional materials (newsletter, website, media

engagement).

21

Primary prevention strategies are integrated into all areas

of the agency’s work.

41

We have dedicated primary prevention staff. 30

Types of prevention efforts utilized by family violence organizations include one-time events as

well as multiple training sessions, community coalitions, train the trainer series, and policy work.

They cover the following topics within these efforts:

Healthy relationships and Teen Violence

Bullying and Bystander intervention

Cyberbullying and Internet safety

Media literacy and Stereotypes

Organizations across Texas report using a wide variety of primary prevention curricula currently

available across the country. 14 organizations reported developing their own curriculum.

Curricula in use at programs include:

Expect Respect

Safe Dates Primary Prevention

Second Step

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Coaching Boys Into Men

Targeted Advocacy or Services

Services to Teens

In general, a majority of all programs provide a wide variety of services to teen survivors of family

violence including shelter, safety planning, individual counseling, support groups, and legal

advocacy. Additional supports include services specifically designed for LGBTQI youth and

referrals to health and reproductive services. Few programs offer batterer intervention just for

teens, but three organizations open up their adult batterer intervention program to teens. 58% of

programs provide shelter to teens ages 13 to 15 and 70% to teens ages 16 and 17. This relatively

high percentage may correlate to the unique ability outlined in statue for Texas’ family violence

shelters to provide access to an unaccompanied minor in a life-threatening situation for up to 15

days.21

Although programs report high levels of service access to teens, more than half of organizations

require that teens obtain signed permission by a parent or guardian while others require

accompaniment by a parent or guardian or have a child in order to self-consent for services, a

potential barrier to service.

Eligibility Requirements for Teens to Access Services

Eligibility for services to teens Number of

organizations

Teen must have signed permission from parent or guardian 48

Teen must be accompanied by parent or guardian 31

Teen must have a child 20

Teen must be a documented citizen or legal permanent resident 1

Teen must be referred by CPS 7

CPS will be contacted when teen receives services 17

Teen must be of a certain age 11

Age Eligibility Requirement for Services

Age Number of organizations

11 29

12 3

13 19

14 3

15 5

16 7

17 5

21 Texas Family Code Ann. § 32.201 & 32.202

20

Safe Use of Technology

Technology has become an increasingly critical topic in the response to family violence in terms

of enhancing awareness of ways for survivors to access technology in a safer manner. More than

30% of programs have an advocate who specializes in the safe use of technology for survivors and

80% of programs safety plan with survivors around the safe use of technology and potential for

technology abuse by the batterer.

Areas of Program that Address Safe Technology

Programming Number of

organizations

Intake or screening protocol 48

Service plans 43

Safety plans 72

Financial Literacy and Economic Justice

Financial barriers often stand as the biggest obstacle to leaving an abusive relationship. Economic

justice, as it relates to family violence and to safety, has become an increasingly useful dialogue.

Family violence programs and coalitions now have the support of national partners such as Allstate

in addressing economic options and increasing the education and resources available to survivors

and advocates.

Just over a quarter of programs have advocates who specialize in economic justice and more than

58% offer financial literacy classes to clients. Targeted services for economic justice include job

training and job readiness, personal budgeting, and work with Individual Development Accounts

(IDA.)

Barriers to Safety and Services

Along with many of the quantitative components, surveyors asked programs in a few areas to

provide qualitative responses to offer a richer understanding of barriers to safety and services for

survivors. Although providers strive to serve every survivor in need, barriers to accessing services

continue. Common barriers include lack of capacity (lack of available beds in emergency shelter,

no available transitional housing units, no openings in outreach counseling sessions); complexity

of other issues in addition to victimization (such as drug & alcohol addiction, unmet mental health

needs, immigration concerns) that may extend beyond capabilities of the organization; and that the

individual requesting services is not a survivor of family violence or sexual assault.

Some programs indicate eligibility issues beyond status as a survivor, such as living outside the

service area, lack of transportation to the center, past program violations, or presenting with an

unwillingness to work with program goals. Certainly these issues present challenges to providing

21

services at times; nevertheless, family violence programs in Texas must strive to remove any added

barriers as survivors already face numerous obstacles as they flee and abusive relationship.

Nearly one third of programs cite fear of escalation as a barrier to survivors seeking services. The

point at which a survivor attempts to leave an abusive relationship stands as a particularly

dangerous time for survivors, with some batterers escalating to a potentially lethal situation. Safety

planning on the hotline and in advocacy services includes preparation for fleeing as safely as

possible, yet without sufficient community resources to turn to, a survivor may not feel confident

in the viability of a safe exit.

Additional reasons a survivor may not, or cannot, access services include safety issues such as the

abuser’s close proximity to the shelter, emotional rather than physical abuse that limits the

survivor’s legal response to stopping the abuser’s behavior, a client history exhibiting harm to self

or others, language barriers including a lack of Spanish speaking counselors, and a high need for

resources that the program cannot provide, such as child care and financial assistance. A handful

of programs indicate they have the ability to work with a survivor regardless of any barriers that

may exist and will serve anyone seeking services.

Unmet Needs of Survivors

When asked what the most common unmet needs were for survivors, responses included many

economic factors such as transportation, childcare, and legal services. Perhaps most commonly

cited was the need for affordable housing as survivor’s transition to safety. As funding becomes

available, the comprehensive list of necessary services programs identified should serve as a

potential guide to resource allocation. The image below is a word cloud in which the size of the

word indicates its prevalence in the survey responses to what unmet needs are most common.

Unmet Needs Identified by Texas Family Violence Programs:

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Community Collaborations

The Texas State Plan focused on surveying dedicated family violence programs, but an equally as

important component to our state’s response to family violence is the development and

maintenance of collaborative partnerships. Local law enforcement entities, probation departments,

workforce commission centers, housing authorities, immigration attorneys, and child visitation

centers commonly partner with nearby family violence programs to coordinate and streamline

services for survivors.

Other community partnerships sometimes formed include formal relationships and agreements

with local public benefits offices, school administrators, court systems and judiciary leadership,

community health centers, legal and refugee services, Child and Adult Protective Services, human

trafficking coalitions, and targeted taskforce and prevention commissions.

Programs frequently refer survivors to other community programs and services. These include

local entities such as churches, affordable housing programs, food banks, area homeless shelters,

mental health providers, substance abuse treatment centers, the district or county attorney’s office,

United Way, and even friends and family. These local providers supplement resources that may

be unavailable or exhausted at the family violence center, such as childcare, housing or other

financial assistance, health care, legal consultation, transportation, clothing, and employment

training.

Un-served and Underserved Populations

Family violence service providers and dedicated family violence advocates within community

organizations have worked closely with survivors over the past several decades to foster an

environment cognizant of their voices and needs and reflected in the creation and implementation

of family violence services in Texas. Certain populations of survivors, however, have not always

stood at the forefront of these discussions and have faced additional barriers in accessing assistance

from programs. These barriers tend to exacerbate their victimization and make it even more

difficult to access services. All of our Texas communities must have access to critical family

violence services; a traditional approach does not typically meet the needs of all populations.

Rather than offering a generalized response addressing marginalized communities in Texas, the

State Plan provides detailed data and information focused on specific un-served and underserved

populations that family violence services identified as in need of additional support and targeted

outreach. In Texas, programs most often cited the following populations:

Survivors with Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Issues

Survivors with Limited English Proficiency

Communities of Color

o African-American and Asian communities

LGBTQI

Men

Youth

23

Survivors from Rural Areas

Special Nonresidential Projects (SNRP) represent one manner in which Texas seeks to meet the

need of the identified un-served and underserved populations. As part of the HHSC funded family

violence programs offered in the State, SNRPs like Catholic Charities of Dallas, Inc. in Dallas

works with immigrant families and the Family Crisis Center in Bastrop provides services to rural

youth with special emphasis on Hispanic youth.22 Texas funds only 16 SNRPs, which only cover

some of the existing gaps.

To bridge this gap, service providers must work directly with members of these communities to

ascertain the services to help enable access to safety and support for survivors in these groups. In

order to address and discuss the wide variety of needs of different groups, the below section divides

the discussion into several parts with specific recommendations for each community identified by

the State Plan followed by a generalized list of recommendations.

Survivors with Mental Illness

A significant number of people in the U.S. experience mental health problems, including some

who are survivors of family violence.23 Nevertheless, many survivors do not have a mental illness

and the effects of domestic violence can present similar to mental illness but may resolve once a

survivor attains safety.24 For those survivors who do have a mental illness, abuse and violence can

aggravate existing issues and a survivor living with a mental illness may experience greater

vulnerability and have may have fewer options to escape from his or her abuser.25

All programs reported that they serve survivors with mental illness. 60 programs indicated that

they are well prepared to work with this population. Many programs still make referrals to Mental

Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) or other agencies; some programs have by necessity

taken on a larger role when working with the population over the years due to limited availability

of MHMR services.26

Recommendations:

Family violence service providers should work with other community-based service

providers whenever possible to accomplish the availability of adequate crisis intervention

services to survivors with mental illness.

Collaborations between family violence programs and mental health professionals that

work to distinguish when survivors need trauma informed care versus mental health

services will enhance a community response to family violence.

22 To learn more about each SNRP’s targeted project go to: http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/Help/family-violence/centers.shtml#SP (Accessed August 7, 2013.) 23 National Institute of Mental Health. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. Available at

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml (accessed August 8, 2013). 24 National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health. (2004). Responding to Domestic Violence: Tools for Mental Health

Providers. Available at http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Responding-to-DV-Tools-for-MH-Providers.pdf

(accessed August 12, 2013). 25 Violence Against Women. Outcome Complexity and Implications for Assessment and Treatment. Available at

http://www.fcadv.org/sites/default/files/Violence%20Against%20Women%20-

%20Outcome%20Complexity%20and%20Implications%20for%20Assessment%20and%20Treatment.pdf (accessed August 12, 2013). 26 MHMR is one of the main state entities in Texas providing mental health services.

24

Each community should designate adequate funds to provide quality mental health

services for treating the short-term and long-term mental health needs of survivors,

including developing contractual arrangements with mental health providers.

Mental health professions should attain sufficient training on identifying and addressing

family violence issues, specifically how these issues affect those with mental illness.

Survivors with Substance Abuse Issues

Although substance abuse does not directly cause of family violence, the two areas often intersect

and intensify one another.27 Survivors report that not only do they turn to drugs or alcohol to cope

with the trauma they experience, but they also use substances to reduce or eliminate feelings of

fear and incorporate it as part of their safety strategies.28 Batterers also use substance abuse as a

means of power and control by encouraging or coercing a survivor’s drug dependence through

threats, emotional abuse, and/or physical force.29

Substance dependence can also make safety planning more difficult.30 A survivor with substance

abuse issues may avoid seeking assistance or contacting law enforcement for fear of arrest or

referral to CPS, they may face withdrawal symptoms that make it difficult for them to access

emergency shelter or other services, and they may fear social stigma. Survivors who have

substance abuse issues also face an exceptional set of challenges as they navigate legal systems if

they have a drug or criminal history, and access safety, an additional vulnerability batterers may

use to their advantage.

Most programs reported that they serve survivors with substance abuse issues and 51 programs

indicated that they are well equipped to work with this population. A lack of resources and/or a

lack of coverage for treatment may discourage survivors from seeking help with their substance

abuse issues. Additionally, societal stigma of labels such as “drug abuser” or “alcoholic” may also

hinder a survivor’s efforts to leave the abuser and seek help, especially if children and custody

factor into the equation.

Recommendations:

Service providers should work with drug and alcohol treatment providers to accomplish

the availability of adequate services to victims of family violence with substance abuse

problems.

Family violence centers should work to create and implement programs that address the

unique needs of survivors who experience substance abuse issues.

Drug and alcohol treatment providers should attain training regarding the unique safety

issues survivors of family violence face as they work towards sobriety.

Survivors with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

27 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). (1997). Substance Abuse Treatment and Domestic Violence: Treatment Improvement Protocol. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64437/

(accessed on August 12, 2013) 28 Id. 29 National Center of Domestic and Sexual Violence. Power and Control Model for Women’s Substance Abuse. Available at

http://www.ncdsv.org/images/WomensSubAbusewheelNOSHADING.pdf (accessed August 8, 2013). 30 National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health. Substance Use Disorders. Available at http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Substance-Use-Disorders.pdf (accessed on August 12, 2013).

25

In a state where the percentage of households speaking a language other than English ranks much

higher than the national average, Texas family violence programs have realized they must offer

enhanced services for survivors with limited English proficiency.31 Additionally, cultural and

language barriers can compound the isolation immigrant survivors of family violence experience.

A majority of organizations, 84%, reported having a bilingual Spanish-English hotline. Of those,

over half reported having bilingual advocates available on the hotline for over 75% of the time.

All but two organizations reported having Spanish-English bilingual staff, and more than half of

organizations reported that they offer bilingual services 100% of the time. The tables below show

the programs who reported the number of bilingual Spanish-English advocates, the percentage of

time bilingual English-Spanish services are available, and the services they offer in Spanish.

Number of Bilingual Spanish-English Advocates

Number of bilingual Spanish-English advocates Numbers of organizations

None 2

Between one and three 30

Between four and eight 34

Nine or more 15

Percentage of the Time Bilingual English-Spanish Services are Available

Percentage of time services available Number of organizations

0% 0

25% 3

50% 14

75% 20

100% 47

Services Offered in Spanish

Type of service Number of organizations

Support group 50

Counseling for adults 45

Shelter 66

Non-residential services 76

Batterer intervention services 20

Languages other than English and Spanish spoken by hotline advocates include a wide variety

ranging from Amharic to Vietnamese. Around a quarter of Texas family violence programs use

the AT&T language line occasionally to frequently, which provides fee-based interpreter services

for most spoken languages.

31 United States Census Bureau. Texas State and County QuickFacts. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48000.html (accessed May 5, 2013).

26

Languages Aside from Spanish Spoken by Texas Family Violence Programs:

While many programs acknowledged a need for better language access services, they also

indicated the difficult financial expense of using interpreters, and few organizations have the

capacity to provide direct services beyond Spanish. Although 32 languages other than Spanish

were identified as being offered, a high concentration of these languages are found in programs

with targeted services to marginalized communities, such as Mosaic in Dallas, serving refugees

and immigrant survivors of family violence and human trafficking, and SAHELI of Austin, serving

Asian and other immigrant communities. The language resources currently available are a good

starting point, but survivors deserve, and need, expansion throughout the state given the ethnically

diverse nature of Texas communities. Without staff or volunteers who speak the language of a

survivor, having a LEP policy in place does not effectively serve this population.

Communities of Color

The African-American and Asian communities represent two communities of color specifically

identified by programs in the State Plan as underserved. Although all programs indicate they serve

both populations, many have expressed difficulty in gaining access and implementing outreach to

the communities to truly assess what depth of services are needed.

African-American Community.

Some studies indicate that African-Americans experience intimate partner violence at a higher

rate than any other race and ethnicity.32 African-American survivors, however, may be less likely

to report abuse or seek help due to negative experiences with law enforcement.33 Furthermore,

some research indicates that African-American women typically take on a role of caretaker and

32 U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2012). Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2010. Available

at http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipv9310.pdf (accessed August 12, 2013). 33 Women of Color Network. Facts & Stats Collection: Domestic Violence Factsheet. Available at http://womenofcolornetwork.org/docs/factsheets/fs_domestic-violence.pdf (accessed on August 8, 2013).

27

protector of their families and community.34 This perception that the woman should care-take

for the abuser makes it even more difficult for African-American women to report abuse or leave

a violent relationship.

Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Community.

41-61% of Asian women report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate

partner during their lifetime and culturally accepted traits such as emotional control, respect,

self-blame, perseverance, and acceptance of suffering can serve to make API communities

victims vulnerable.35 These traits contribute to a survivor’s hesitance to vocalize victimization

even to their friends and family. Additionally, “push factors” (“leave the house, give me a

divorce,” etc.) occur more often than “pull factors” (“come back to me, I love you,” etc.) in API

relationships as a reflection of tightly prescribed traditional gender roles.36 API survivors might

also hesitate to enter shelter because issues concerning food, undressing in front of others, or the

informal habits of other clients often displayed in a shelter environment can make some API

survivors feel alienated and uncomfortable.37

Programs report having large API populations in their service area, but service statistics available

from the Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program do not support this

anecdotal information, with only 1% of all survivors served identifying as API, suggesting a

disconnect in access to services within this community.38

Recommendations:

Outreach to survivors of colors should be informed and led by people from those specific

communities or those with extensive knowledge about the communities where outreach is

directed.

Services should build on strengths of the communities and cultures served including

religious or spiritual, cultural, and family institutions.

Program should develop innovative service and outreach strategies that offer services

using methods that do not rely exclusively on traditional approaches, and staff should

also be representative of the survivors served in the agency.

Survivors Identifying as LGBTQI

Most family violence service providers in Texas serve survivors identifying as LGBTQI and report

that they are well prepared to work with this population. Given the history of marginalization and

the physical, economic, and cultural violence these communities face, obstacles still exist for those

who seek services. For instance, program materials that support traditional gender and relationship

norms can lead to the perception that services are available only to clients who fit those norms.

34 Bell, C. C., & Mattis, J. (2000). The importance of cultural competence in ministering to African American victims of domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 6, 515-532. 35 35 Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence. Fact Sheet: Violence Against Asian and Pacific Islander Women. Available at

http://www.apiidv.org/files/Violence.against.API.Women-FactSheet-APIIDV-6.2012.pdf (accessed August 8, 2013). 36 Women of Color Network. Facts & Stats Collection: Domestic Violence Factsheet. Available at

http://womenofcolornetwork.org/docs/factsheets/fs_domestic-violence.pdf (accessed on August 8, 2013). 37 Id. 38 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012.

28

LGBTQI survivors face additional hurdles that hinder their access to services and their ability to

seek help. Abusive partners may use a survivor’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a threat,

causing the survivor to fear being “outed,” losing their family, friends, job, or housing.39

Effectively informing this population about available resources requires specialized outreach

efforts, as does the promotion of prevention education about healthy, viable relationships.

Programs expressed an increased need for availability of services, education about the dynamics

of LGBTQI relationship violence, and effective outreach to the LGBTQI community, particularly

for teens.

Recommendations:

People identifying as LGBTQI or those in the community who are well informed about

LGBTQI issues should lead outreach to LGBTQI survivors of family violence and should

inform and lead prevention education.

Family violence programs can create environments that reflect a variety of gender

identities and relationship norms thereby promoting a sense of welcome for all

communities. Public education, awareness, and prevention materials can incorporate

information about the different dynamics of violence affecting all sectors in our society

as well as shaping a vision for what healthy relationships can look like.

Communities should expand, or establish, programs that address the particular and

specific needs of survivors identifying as LGBTQI in abusive relationships.

Programs must exercise extra care to protect the confidentiality of members of the

LGBTQI community who seek services.

Family violence programs should develop policies and training that address and correct

the general misinformation and stereotypes prevalent throughout society among their

staff and in the community at large.

Program policies should prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual

orientation in service delivery, hiring practices, and other organizational business.

Men

Although the movement to end domestic violence remains largely focused on female survivors

due to the severity and frequency of violence against women, it is important to create avenues for

all survivors to seek services. Male survivors of family violence may experience complicating

factors including media and societal messages that propagate gender roles and stereotypes that

could serve as a barrier to seeking services or identifying as a survivor of family violence. In

addition to these challenges, programs report that male survivors that do seek services remain

underserved in regards to depth of services. Structural and privacy issues often determine the

way in which programs navigate the sheltering of men. For example, rather than receiving on-

site shelter, programs reported male survivors typically stay in hotels or safe homes instead and

more often utilize nonresidential services. The table below outlines the availability of these

options in Texas:

39 A Joint Policy Report by the National Center for Victims of Crime and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. (2010). Why It

Matters: Rethinking Victim Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Victims of Hate Violence & Intimate Partner

Violence. Available at http://www.avp.org/storage/documents/Reports/WhyItMatters_LGBTQreport.pdf (accessed on August 12, 2013).

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Shelter Options for Male Victims of Family Violence

Shelter options for Men Number of organizations

Shelter houses men 29

Safe homes 5

Vouchers for other accommodations 47

Recommendations:

Family violence programs should develop policies and procedures that identify male

survivors and detail methods for appropriate intervention.

Family violence centers and others should develop and establish programs that address

the specific needs of male survivors, which include educational materials about trauma

specific to this population.

Staff and volunteers who interact with survivors should receive training on appropriate

interventions and referrals when working with male survivors, which include a list of

specific resources for counseling and support groups.

Outreach efforts should incorporate images men and be directed to locations in the

community where male survivors likely will see them.

Youth

Youth Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Overall, programs have indicated an increasing number of teenage and minor victims who need

specialized services. A contributing factor to this overall increase may be the changes to the

Texas Family Code, which allow emergency services to minors for a short period without

parental consent.40 Most programs indicate serving unaccompanied minors with approximately

92 served each year.

Children Exposed to Family Violence

For survivors of family violence children often represent the most critical factor in their decision

to seek safety and stability. The effect on children exposed to violence can vary greatly and

interventions that promote the resiliency of children along with supporting the relationship

between the child and the non-abusive parent will accomplish the best outcome. In Texas,

children of survivors of family violence make up 55% of all shelter residents and approximately

38% of all Texans served in fiscal year 2011 and 2012.41 The confluence of this prevalence and

the need to provide tailored services to promote resiliency stand as critical factors and as such

our state must prioritize outreach and services to this population.

Recommendations:

40 Section 32.202 added in 2003 by the Texas Legislature: http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/FA/htm/FA.32.htm 41 Texas Health and Human Service Commission Family Violence Program. Family Violence Program Legislative Report 2012.

30

Family violence programs should develop policies and procedures that identify teen

survivors and detail methods for appropriate intervention.

Family violence programs should look to the implementation of the recommendations for

family violence service providers contained in the Task Force to Address the

Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and Neglect Report to

strengthen their response to children exposed to violence.42

Family violence centers and others should establish programs that address the needs of

teens survivors of family and/or dating violence; centers and others should also develop

educational materials targeted at teens.

Staff and volunteers who interact with teen survivors should receive training on

appropriate interventions and referrals, which include a list of specific resources for

counseling and support groups.

Survivors in Rural Areas

Although the Census Bureau identifies large portions of the state as rural or isolated, the Office of

Violence against Women (OVW) does not designate Texas as a rural state for targeted funding

due to the state’s numerous large metropolitan areas.43 This lack of funding impacts large rural

areas and the community resources they can provide to clients. Several programs also expressed

concerns regarding transportation when discussing rural areas because the lack of transportation

makes it extremely difficult for clients to access whatever available resources exist.

Recommendations:

Advocates should develop innovative service and outreach strategies, such as utilizing

technology, to offer services to survivors in rural areas unable to access transportation

regularly.

Outreach efforts should identify key influential groups and opportunities to engage with

rural communities.

A coordinated community response plan should incorporate law enforcement, criminal

justice officials, faith based organizations, and social services providers.

Additional Populations

Programs mentioned these geographically and/or culturally specific groups less frequently;

however, this may result from a lack of awareness of the need for these services. Family

violence programs and funders should consider approaches for offering meaningful access and

services to the following populations:

Survivors in Colonias

42 Texas Health and Human Service Commission. Task Force to Address the Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and Neglect Report. Available at http://www.vawnet.org/sexual-violence/summary.php?doc_id=3496&find_type=web_desc_GC (Accessed August

12, 2013.) 43 Rural Health Research Center. Rural Urban Commuting Area Code Maps. Available at http://depts.washington.edu/uwruca/map_7.php (accessed August 8, 2013).

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Defined by the Secretary of State, a Colonia is “a residential area along the Texas-Mexico border

that may lack some of the most basic living necessities.”44 In Texas, Colonias provide a unique

challenge. Survivors from this population are primarily Hispanic and often include those with

high rates of monolingual Spanish language knowledge only and low literacy.45 Residents have

complained about the prevalence of family violence in Colonias but concurrently remains too

often unaddressed due to lack of emergency shelters, social services and limited law

enforcement.46 Colonia residents also fear reporting due to fears associated with their

immigration or residency status, which has made outreach to Colonias difficult.47

The Colonia Resident Advisory Committee (C-RAC) has recommended the appropriation of

funding to build shelters and provide services to victims of family violence including counseling

and education in order to address the need for social services to Colonias. In addition, due to the

high rates of monolingual speakers in Colonias, service providers should also look to the

recommendations contained in the section regarding LEP survivors when providing services

within these communities.

Survivors Over the Age of 65

When asked what their programs do differently to meet the needs of survivors over the age of 65,

the program’s attempt to ensure accessibility and meeting any special dietary needs ranked as the

most common response identified was. While the majority of programs reported that they serve

elderly clients and are well equipped to work with this population, only about half (48) of the

programs indicated that they focus on targeted outreach to the elderly.

Recommendations:

Family violence programs should develop policies and procedures that identify elder

abuse, include reporting requirements to Adult Protective Services, and detail methods

for appropriate intervention.

Family violence advocates should develop and establish programs that address the

specific needs of survivors over the age of 65 and make programs and services more

accessible to these survivors.

Staff and volunteers who interact with survivors over the age of 65 should receive

training on appropriate interventions and referrals when working with this population.

Outreach efforts should incorporate images of elderly people and be directed to locations

in the community where survivors over the age of 65 likely will see them.

Survivors with Disabilities

44 Texas Secretary of State. What is a Colonia? Available at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/what_colonia.shtml (accessed August

8th, 2013). 45 Texas Secretary of State. Colonias FAQs. Available at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/faqs.shtml (accessed August 8, 2013). 46 Texas Secretary of State. A Report Relating to the Coordination of Colonia Initiatives and Services to Colonia Residents. Available at

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/forms/sb1202_112106.pdf (accessed August 8, 2013). 47 Id.

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People with disabilities have stressed the importance and necessity for service providers to create

and implement specialized services, outreach efforts, and public awareness and training to

address their needs and the discrimination they face. Survivors with disabilities, or who are

d/Deaf , are more vulnerable to the risk of experiencing violence and more likely experience

financial abuse, isolation, neglect and the withholding of their medications or mobility/breathing

aids withheld.48 Most programs indicated that they take measures to ensure physical

accessibility of their facilities to persons with disabilities.

67% of programs reported that they use American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters when

working with victims who are d/Deaf. Around 58% of organizations reported that their

residential services are accessible to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (i.e., rooms with

ADA kits containing items such as baby criers, TTY, door knocker with light, etc.), and about

63% reported that persons who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing access their non-residential

services. Programs must make additional efforts to guarantee that they offer specialized services

for those who are Deaf or disabled.

Recommendations:

Family violence centers and others should develop programs that address specific needs

of people with disabilities or who are d/Deaf.

Staff and volunteers should receive special training about working with individuals with a

variety of disabilities.

Programs should have resources available to provide ASL interpreters if necessary.

Family violence centers and others should develop outreach efforts that incorporate

images of people with disabilities and direct these to community locations where people

who are disabled or d/Deaf will see them.

Victims of Human Trafficking

Family violence and human trafficking are different forms of victimization, but they often intersect

when the survivor lives in the home of the trafficker. Like family violence survivors, many times

traffickers exploit, commit physical and sexual violence, isolate and threaten physical violence as

well as make legal threats concerning immigration status and/or deportation. While similarities

exist between family violence and human trafficking victims and survivors, trafficking heightens

lethality and safety and therefore victims need specialized services.

63 service providers indicated that their staff are well prepared to work with this population,

however, only 36 programs reported having serviced trafficking victims during the past year and

11 programs reported that they had not served this population.

Refugees and Asylees.

According to the Texas Health and Human Service Commission, Texas receives approximately

4,500 refugees and asylees every year. Refugees and asylum seekers are individuals who have

48 Futures Without Violence. Family Violence Prevention Fund Health Alert (2002) Responding to Abuse Against Women with Disabilities:

Broadening the Definition of Domestic Violence. Available at

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/responding_to_abuse.pdf (accessed on August 12 2013).

33

left their country and cannot return home due to fear of persecution based on their race, religion,

ethnic group, or membership in a particular social or political group.49 Like immigrants,

refugees and asylees typically face stress associated with adapting to a new culture, but they

must do so in the light of an already stressful and anxious situation after leaving their country.

This heightened level of stress makes those that are also victims of family violence especially

vulnerable to their abusers.

Many of the traditional obstacles that family violence victims face amplify for immigrants,

refugees and/or asylee survivors. These survivors have difficulty navigating unfamiliar legal,

medical and social service systems, and the laws and resources available that may help them.

Furthermore, cultural and religious beliefs also play a significant role in preventing victims from

considering leaving their abuser. Their families and communities may shun immigrant victims

of family violence when they seek help, pressuring survivors to stay in the relationship.50

Deportation concerns both documented and undocumented immigrants if they contact law

enforcement or seek help from other social services – a fear which can be manipulated and

utilized by abusers.

Refugees and asylees need core services that factor in cultural sensitivity with an emphasis on

confidentiality due to the safety risks associated with their political and immigration status. 47

service providers indicated that their staff is well prepared to work with this community

Recommendations (for Refugees& Asylees and Victims of Trafficking):

Family violence service providers should address the needs to immigrants through direct

services or through referrals to providers who can address those needs, especially

immigration attorneys that can assist clients.

Service providers from across the spectrum must communicate the clear message that

immigration status is legally irrelevant to obtaining emergency shelter, protective orders,

police assistance or emergency medical care.

Direct service staff should receive training on basic immigration remedies.

Staff should receive training on the unique needs of survivors of trafficking and/or work

with local agencies who have expertise on the issue.

All services, public awareness materials, and interventions must be linguistically and

culturally relevant for immigrant populations in the community.

Programs should identify what immigrants, refugees and/or asylees exist within their own

communities and create culturally relevant strategies for outreach.

Survivors in Military Families.

The unique characteristics of military life and culture present a different set of challenges for

survivors of family violence. Survivors in military families encounter isolation as they move from

base to base, they fear retaliation if they report the abuse, and they fear reporting the abuse will

result in job loss or disciplinary actions for the batterer, which could also result in lack of housing

49 Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Refugee Resettlement Program. Available at http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/programs/refugee/ (accessed August 8, 2013). 50 Realities for Immigrant Populations: How they Experience the System (2006) by Gail Pendleton & Ellen Kemp of the ASISTA Immigrant

Women's Technical Assistance Project. Available at http://www.vawnet.org/summary.php?doc_id=361&find_type=web_sum_GC (accessed August 12th, 2013).

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or healthcare.51 Survivors also have the additional challenge of facing easy access to weapons by

the batterer.52 Additionally, war deployment and the trauma that results compounded with the

stress associated with long separation can increase incidents of violence.

Texas has one of the highest numbers of military bases, 15 total, in the country.53 Although military

efforts to identify and respond to domestic and sexual violence are evident within Texas’ family

violence programs, working with survivors in military families continues to be challenging.

However, programs can work with military response systems to implement services to help

facilitate better access to services and information for survivors. Some examples of military-

specific services include:

Information regarding military reporting

Liaison with local military depot – including the Court and Military Liaison Program

Training for the Family Advocacy Program on military base (or cross-training with the

Family Advocacy Program)

Recommendations:

Outreach efforts should include connecting with local military bases and becoming

familiar with military systems, practices, and protocols.

Collaborate with Family Advocacy Programs to provide family violence training on

military bases.

Survivors who Reside in Native American Tribes

According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, American Indians experience

sexual and physical violence at a rate more than twice the level of any other ethnic group in the

nation.54 Despite this, data is limited and it is unclear what factors exactly attribute to the high

rate of victimization. The recent re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

helps tribes to respond to violent crimes against Native American women, develop education,

work towards prevention, and enhance victim safety.55

The federal government recognizes three Native American tribes in Texas: Alabaman-Coushatta

Tribe of Texas near Livingston, Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas near Eagle Pass, and Ysleta

Del Sur Pueblo of Texas near El Paso.56 Additionally, Texas recognizes the Lipan Apache Tribe

near McAllen.57

51 Battered Women’s Justice Project. Understanding the Military Response to Domestic Violence: Tools for Civilian Advocates. Available at http://www.bwjp.org/files/bwjp/articles/BWJP_Military_Part1.pdf (accessed August 8th, 2013). 52 Id. 53 US Military Bases. Military Bases in Texas. Available at http://militarybases.com/texas/ (accessed August 8th, 2013). 54 Bachman, R. et al., 2008. Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and the Criminal Justice Response: What is

Known. Available at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/223691.pdf (accessed on August 12, 2013). 55 The United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Tribal Communities. Available at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/tribal.html#about-ovw-indian-country (accessed August 8, 2013). 56 “Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” Federal Register 77 (10 August 2012).

Available at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/biaind.pdf (accessed August 8 2013). 57 In 2009, the Texas Legislature passed HR 812 (81 R) and SR438 (81 R) recognizing the Lipan Apache Tribe.

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The U.S. Census lists Texas as one of the states with more than 100,000 American Indian and

Alaskan Native residents. As with the survey mentioned above, the Census offers little

information regarding the Texas tribes beyond records indicating that each tribe has a population

under 1,800. The discrepancy between the high U.S. Census data and the low Texas tribal

populations indicates the need to outreach further with this population in order to identify gaps.

A handful of programs report providing services to Native American survivors, such as

providing intake and services to clients or participating on community councils together,

however, our state has not fully assessed the full scope of the need for services to this

underserved population in Texas. Additionally, Texas’ response to this population should focus

on enhancing each tribal community’s ability to address family violence and rely on tribal

responses in large part to derive solutions to violence.

Migrant Workers

Like Native American tribes, little information exists regarding the migrant worker population.

Migrant laborers typically work in low paying and poorly regulated positions, and face a variety

of challenges such as hazardous working conditions, environmental exposures, poverty, and

limited to non-existent health care.58 These hardships also make migrant women more

susceptible to violence. They share many of the same obstacles to non-migrant worker

immigrants including isolation, language barriers, adapting to a different culture, lack of access

to social services, concerns regarding their citizenship and immigration status, as well as

financial limitations. In Texas, the Migrant Clinicians Network Family Violence Initiative

targets outreach to this population.

Holistic Strategies

Texans continue to work towards incorporating the voices of all survivors and meeting their

needs. In order to accomplish this goal, Texas must safeguard funding and emphasize strategies

for all survivors while at the same time addressing the specific communities and geographic and

cultural populations mentioned above. Simply put, all individuals must have access to effective

family violence services and the support to leave their violent relationships. See below for

general recommendations and suggested strategies to better meet the needs of un-served and

underserved populations of survivors in Texas.

Family violence programs should enhance their policies to promote accessibility,

inclusiveness, and sensitivity to the needs of diverse cultures and populations.

In direct recognition of the complicating safety and practical factors only victims can

identify for themselves, service providers, and others, must provide services that victims

can access regardless of whether they have left, or intend to leave, their batterer.

Government and private funders should increase resources available for programs

addressing the unmet needs of underserved and marginalized populations.

The leadership, development, and operation of programs created to address the needs of

their communities must include members of marginalized populations.

58 Migrant Clinicians Network. Introduction to Migrant Issues: Dependant on misfortune. Available at http://www.migrantclinician.org/issues/migrant-info.html (accessed August 8, 2013).

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Programs should join interagency councils, mobile crisis teams, and task forces that hone

in on key issues.

Programs should develop relationships with specific communities, especially leaders of

the communities, through community engagement and social events.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should provide community-based

organizations offering services to marginalized communities with support, technical

assistance, and the flexibility by to incorporate effective family violence services.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should provide more outreach and

services to underserved populations including people with disabilities, drug and alcohol

problems, or mental illness; members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender groups;

and non-English speaking communities. Providers should offer services in a manner that

targets specific populations.

Programs should collaborate with different venues for targeted outreach to offer more

comprehensive services – i.e., schools, health clinics, beauty salons, faith communities

and disability services.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should support the innovation of

service and outreach strategies that speak to specific groups and or under-provided

services – such as utilizing technology.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should design services to meet the

holistic needs of marginalized populations, and should address other forms of oppressions

and violence they may experience by focusing on culturally competent services as well as

translation/interpretation services.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should recognize and include

extended and non-traditional family members in service delivery and advocacy efforts of

family violence programs.

Policymakers, funders, and other service providers should support the development

alternatives for marginalized and underserved populations who do not perceive family

violence shelters as a viable alternative.

Staff, board members, volunteers, and interns should reflect a community’s diversity.

Programs should re-examine services offered and identify ways in which they might

exclude diverse populations, including people who fear working with the criminal legal

system and other systems these populations have come to distrust.

Although demand currently overwhelms even existing services, victims and survivors need

different services from those already established. Programs must continue to receive support to

offer core services, such as emergency shelter and advocacy, as well as the necessary assistance

to identify un-served and underserved populations in their respective communities.

As Texas addresses the complex needs of all family violence survivors across the state, effective

funding solutions and resource availability present significant challenges. Funders, policy-makers,

and counties should look to a dual approach of balancing the directions suggested by the 2013

State Plan update with their unique knowledge of a community as they strive to meet these

challenges. Additionally, the needs of underserved populations and survivors of family violence

stand at the forefront of all of Texas’s efforts to provide successful interventions that respond to,

and prevent, family violence in our state.