Dear Friends and Supporters,
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, I invite you to remember that each and every one of us has a role to play in addressing the epidemic of interpersonal violence. And I ask you to join collective efforts to create a future defined by safe communities, caring families, and healthy relationships.
HAWC serves thousands of women, children, and families each year escaping domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking. We help survivors transform their lives, free from violence. Because of their courage, we are convinced this crisis can and must be stopped.
HAWC’s professional and competent advocates are on the front lines supporting survivors. We know what it takes to prevent violence. Thanks to support from people like you, we do it every day.
We offer free, 24-hour crisis counseling, safety planning, information, and referral.
→Our free hotline is available 24 hours and manages more than 50,000 calls a year. Staffed by trained advocates, the hotline is truly a lifeline for anyone – survivor, friend, or even parent – seeking expert advice on a path to safety.
We provide free, real-time safety for those fleeing violence.
→That safety is found in our free shelter program, which houses over 100 women and children on average every night in our city – with round-the-clock admittance.
We empower survivors with the tools they need to heal in the wake of harm and establish independent lives.
→HAWC’s free housing, counseling, and legal services programs serve thousands of survivors every year.
In collaboration with government and non-governmental entities, and with philanthropic support from generous Houston donors, HAWC has been meeting the needs of the survivors and their families for 45 years.
In this anniversary year, and after an assessment of community needs, we are going “Future Forward” with an ambitious plan to reimagine our organization to address the escalation of violence we are seeing throughout Houston.
- We will expand our residential campus, tripling the number of people we can safely house on any given night.
- We will open four new survivor empowerment hubs to strategically improve access to services.
- And, as thought leaders and subject matter experts, we will continue to be proactive with advance policies and partnerships that stop violence before it starts.
As advocates for survivors and champions for change, we need to be focused on solutions. Unless we elevate our efforts today, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men will be victims of domestic violence during their lifetimes. By removing the stigma and working together, we can break the cycle of violence.
Your support is more important than ever and greatly appreciated. Please join us in #HAWCFutureForward.
Until it ends,
Emilee Dawn Whitehurst
President and CEO
Houston Area Women’s Center