The overview
Harris County has a 75% turn-away rate for people looking for help when trying to escape domestic violence, Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said during a Dec. 10 press conference. The county has also had the highest numbers for intimate partner violence in the state since 2022, according to a Dec. 10 news release from Briones’ office.
“Harris County: we need to come together, because we have a serious problem that we need to solve and make progress on together,” Briones said.
Commissioners unanimously approved the Harris County Domestic Violence System Coordination and Support Services project with Judge Lina Hidalgo absent.
The Houston Area Women's Center—which hosts hotlines and an emergency shelter for people escaping abuse—will receive the initial $1 million investment, which comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Flexible funding, according to the Dec. 10 news release. The center will collaborate with the University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council for the project.
According to Dec. 10 meeting documents, the county’s collaborative domestic violence plan will:
- Decrease shelter turn-away rates by 10%
- Add texting and social media options for people seeking services
- Allow for additional training for service providers
- Encourage increased collaboration among domestic violence organizations
- Be contracted Dec. 10-Dec. 9, 2025 with three options for one-year renewals
One out of four homicides in Houston are domestic violence homicides, and the holidays are especially dangerous for people experiencing domestic abuse, Emilee D. Whitehurst, President and CEO of the Houston Area Women's Center said during the Dec. 10 press conference.
“What this investment will allow us to do is to take the time and have the resources at our disposal to really figure out how to reduce these homicide rates, improve coordination and achieve a much better viable scenario for survivors who are fleeing violence in our region,” Whitehurst said.
