San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
SAN ANTONIO'S EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN
The need for family violence services is on the rise in Texas, according to statistics from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and there’s a solid network of organizations that hold space for those healing from or currently in family crisis situations.
Heading these organizations is a network of dedicated professionals and among them are three women who have dedicated much of their adult lives to helping others.
Marta Prada Pelaez is one of those women.
She’s CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., which has run the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter of Bexar County for more than 40 years. The shelter can accommodate more than 200 people and is funded through donations.
The organization’s mission is to “break the cycle of violence and to strengthen families by providing the necessary tools for self-sufficiency through delivery of emergency shelter, transitional housing, effective parenting education, and specialized intervention with youth and the elderly.”
At the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter, victims of abuse, child neglect and other forms of domestic violence can find a safe place to take refuge and find help to begin on the path of healing. Services offered include counseling, medical assistance, help with finding housing and more.
Residents and non-residents can receive services from the shelter and individuals are allowed to stay at the shelter for as long as needed while they regroup and seek out needed services.
Pelaez’s journey with the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter began in the late 1990’s, when she and her husband moved their family to Texas from Chicago. Their son began studying at Trinity University and Marta opened up an imaging center with her husband.
The grand opening of that imaging center was the first time Marta worked with the shelter and the organization that runs it – Family Violence Prevention Services.
“Our son said it would be nice if you invited someone from a nonprofit organization and dedicated the opening to the organization ,” Pelaez said. “The charity we selected was Battered Women’s Shelter and that was my initiation into this work.”
A few years later, the Pelaez family sold the imaging center and Pelaez decided she was ready to go back to work using her skills as a clinical psychologist, a profession which she had held prior to moving to San Antonio.
“I did some work with children that were being abused and worked with parents who abused their children,” Pelaez explained. “I called Family Violence Prevention Services and said I have this dual perspective on abuse, having worked with the children and the parents. Is there anything I can do for you?”
So, she started work at the Battered Women’s Shelter as director of substance abuse for adolescents a program Family Violence and Prevention Services was running at the time.
“Not too long after that, I was promoted to Chief of Programs and then the board asked me to step up to the CEO position,” Pelaez said. “And I’ve never looked back.”
One of the shelter’s biggest supporters is the nonprofit Christy’s Hope, founded by San Antonio community member and successful business owner Christine Prescott.
Christy’s Hope raises money specifically for the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter through annual gala and golf fundraisers.
Over 24 years, Christy’s Hope has raised more than $4 million to help fund shelter programs, bolster supplies and in other ways to keep the shelter running.
Pelaez says Prescott’s work toward supporting the shelter has been unmatched.
“I do not know if there are angels in heaven, but there is one in San Antonio and that is Christy,” Paleaz said. “This is her passion and her calling, and you should see her and her team of volunteers come to the shelter.”
Prescott is also the CEO of Corporate Travel Planners, one of the nation’s largest privately owned travel agencies and the top agency in Texas. She’s a board member for both Family Violence Prevention Services and Christy’s Hope.
She founded the organization 24 years ago, after taking a tour of the Battered Women’s Shelter, which was housed, at the time, in a church. She saw a need when she toured the facility and dedicated herself to raise money to meet that need.
Over the years, money raised from Christy’s Hope events has been used to provide medical assistance and counseling services, temporary housing and resources for more permanent housing, and more.
In addition to spreading awareness and supporting victims of domestic abuse and family violence, Prescott is also dedicated to supporting education and is on several scholarship boards dedicated to that end.
“I think it’s really important for people to give back to their community,” Prescott said. “I feel like I’ve bene given a lot with my company, and it’s come from the community that I live. I never forget that.”
Upcoming is the 24th Annual Esperanza Gala and Golf, May 5 and 6 at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. The event offers a full day of golf with an open bar, food stations, live band and live and silent auctions.
Christy’s Hope is also hosting an online raffle for a 5-night trip for two to Spain that includes air fare and accommodations. That raffle is ongoing through May 31 and tickets are available through christyshope. org for $100 each.
Working in tandem with these organizations, and others, is Shannon White, President and CEO of Guardian House, an organization dedicated to maintaining a space where families and children can come to heal and work toward reconciliation, and where individuals can learn new life skill.
These three women are by no means the only professionals working to raise awareness and respond to cases of family violence, child abuse and domestic violence. However, they’ve each been able to support their communities in powerful ways.
Since 2021, state and national statistics have shown an increase in reports of domestic violence, abuse and neglect.
The Texas Council on Family Violence currently estimates 176 victims sought family violence services every single day last year and according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective
Services (DFPS), 5641 victims of child abuse were reported in Bexar County last year.
Whether it’s a contentious separation, family conflict, abuse or neglect, San Antonio’s network of professionals and dedicated community members provides a safe, therapeutic environment for victims to get help, connect with resources and get relief from ongoing violence.
Guardian House protects children at high risk of child abuse and domestic violence by shielding them from family conflict, promoting positive parenting and relationships, and keeping children and families connected.
“Guardian House provides a therapeutic, child-focused environment that gives children of separation or divorce, and their parents, the tools they need to build and maintain strong relationships while overcoming family trauma,” White explained.
In 2021, Guardian House was able to serve 1,500 individuals through more than 9,500 encounters and the demand for programs continues to grow. The company has a 25year history of supporting families through extensive programing.
The organization creates a homelike environment where children and noncustodial parents can engage in relationship-building activities like playground time or baking. Parents can also take classes to learn to appropriately meet the determinantal needs of their children and help build strong, healthy relationships.
“For many of our families, supervised visitation at Guardian House is the only time the noncustodial parent sees their child, and this is typically up to six hours per month,” White said. “This teaches parents to appropriately meet the developmental needs of their children to help them build strong, healthy relationships while also reducing the incidents of child abuse and neglect.”
Guardian House’s programs also facilitate healing that must occur before a healthy relationship can be established between a noncustodial parent and child after trauma or a significant absence.
Clients also use Guardian House as a neutral ground for custody exchanges, providing a safe space for parent and child to meet.
“For many families, Guardian House is their only therapeutic-based resource, supporting court-ordered supervised visitation and safe, monitored exchanges,” White said.
White started her work with Guardian House in 2009 as the Clinical and Program Director. Since then, she has transitioned to CEO and Chief Clinical Director. Like many other professionals in the nonprofit arena, White said one of the major challenges of directing Guardian House is ensuring they have the funding and capacity to serve the San Antonio Community.
“Working in the nonprofit arena always has its challenges but seeing families develop and grow to have happy and healthy relationships is very fulfilling,” White said.
***
Domestic abuse and child abuse, neglect and family violence take on a variety of forms and crisis presents itself in the community in a wide range of situations. These organizations and others like them facilitate healing in ways that are specific to the needs of each individual.
All of them benefit from community donations and all of them can get involved when the community takes action like calling hotlines, reporting child abuse situations and reaching out themselves if help is needed.
Families are considered high conflict when one or more of the following criteria is present:
(1) parental behavior precludes children from developing a positive relationship with the non-custodial parent;
(2) ongoing adult interpersonal behavior exposes children to negative messages and inappropriate role expectations;
(3) ongoing inter-parental verbal and/or physical conflict exposes children to potential emotional and/or physical harm;
(4) child physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect is alleged; or
(5) domestic violence exposes adult victims to potential physical harm (Flory 1998).