State gets $18M to fight domestic violence

As cases rise in pandemic, women’s center is set to receive $650,000 in federal funds

Amid a surge of abuse cases among homebound and cashstrapped families during the pandemic, Justice Department officials announced Friday that Texas organizations will receive $18 million in grant funding to curb domestic violence.

While federal prosecutors in Texas have charged dozens of such cases involving gun crimes, the vast majority of domestic violence cases do not fall within federal jurisdiction. The Justice Department grants from Office on Violence Against Women are aimed at bolstering local efforts by law enforcement, prosecutors and victim service providers. The money also supports health care, training and academic research.

Among the Texas recipients was the Houston Area Women’s Center, which received a $650,000 grant to cover three years of legal advocacy and services for 250 survivors of domestic violence. And $152,345 was awarded to the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and $91,274 to the Texas Council on Family Violence, which offer services statewide.

“This funding fills a critical gap in the needs of survivors,” said Chau Nguyen, spokesperson for the Houston Area Women’s Center. “Navigating the legal system can be daunting and complicated, so supporting survivors by hiring a legal advocate and attorney onto our organizations allows survivors to continue their journey toward self-determination and ultimately a life free of violence.”

Nguyen said the center tracked an increase of more than 1,000 calls per month to its hotline as the pandemic took hold. The Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention has found that 1 in 6 homicide victims are slain by an intimate partner.

The grant money stems from a June 2019 initiative, when Attorney General William Barr formed a domestic violence working group to encourage prosecution of armed domestic violence offenders. The leftover funds have been distributed nationwide to state and local organizations.