One Year at One Safe Place Houston
So much to celebrate!
One year ago, the Houston Area Women’s Center opened the doors to One Safe Place Houston (OSPH). What began as a vision to expand housing, consolidate services, and remove barriers to safety and support has become something far more powerful: a community built on dignity and hope.
The Need Is Real
The Houston region is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, and the demand for survivor services consistently exceeds available resources. Thousands of individuals seek emergency housing, counseling, and legal advocacy support each year, often facing long waits or limited access due to capacity constraints. The gap between need and availability has long been one of the most pressing challenges in our community — and it’s exactly what OSPH was built to address.
More Than a Building
In May 2025, the Houston Area Women’s Center proudly opened OSPH to expand housing availability, integrate services under one roof, and reduce barriers to long-term stability and safety. With 135 emergency and transitional housing units, HAWC tripled its previous housing capacity in a single move. Beyond the scale of the campus, the true impact is what happens inside its walls.
For the first time in the organization’s history, HAWC began operating from a disclosed location — a meaningful shift that reflects the dispelling of shame around being a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, access to safety and support, and community trust that makes this kind of transparency possible. On one secure campus, survivors now have access to counseling, childcare, legal advocacy, economic empowerment programs, and even an on-site Houston ISD elementary school. Everything survivors and their families need is in one place.
The Numbers Behind the Mission
Since welcoming its first residents in May 2025, One Safe Place Houston has provided safe housing and wraparound support to 844 survivors and their families — 393 adults and 451 children. The adults served were 96% women and 3% men. Among the children, 48% were girls and 52% were boys.
Beyond housing, 344 survivors received additional support through counseling, legal advocacy, and economic empowerment services. 94 children were enrolled in childcare and enrichment programming, and 39 children attended the elementary school right on campus — meaning they could continue their education without disruption and in a safe and secure space.
What These Numbers Really Mean
Statistics can only tell part of the story. Behind every data point is a family who needed a safe night of sleep, a child who needed continuity and normalcy, an adult who needed safety, support, and time to figure out what comes next.
Susan Bailey-Newell, President and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center, put it this way: “One Safe Place Houston isn’t just a building. It’s a promise that every survivor who walks through our doors will be met with safety, dignity, and hope.” She describes seeing that promise fulfilled every day — in the staff who show up to counsel, advocate, teach, and care; and in the survivors themselves, women, men, and children who are choosing to rebuild, heal, and begin again.”
A Community That Made It Possible
One Safe Place Houston didn’t come to life on its own. It exists because donors and Lightkeepers, advocates, and community members believe in our mission and the importance of OSPH. The generosity of this community is woven into every counseling session, every school morning, every meal served, and every safe night a family spends in their apartment.
Domestic and sexual violence continue to affect people across Houston and beyond, and the need for safe, comprehensive, accessible support remains urgent. The milestone of 844 survivors served is a cause for celebration — and a cause for continued commitment.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter or just learning about One Safe Place Houston for the first time, there are ways to get involved. Visit hawc.org/donate to make a one-time gift, or join our Lightkeepers giving program at hawc.org/Lightkeepers to support our mission every month. Every contribution helps keep this promise alive for the next survivor who walks through our doors.
One-Year at OSPH Fact Sheet
The Houston Area Women’s Center is dedicated to preventing domestic and sexual violence for ALL.
