Harris County Commissioners Approve $4 Million Investment in Domestic Violence Response System
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New coordination and support services funding will expand critical resources for survivors
Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a plan spearheaded by Commissioner Lesley Briones to invest $4 million to expand resources for survivors of domestic violence.
Statistics show the extreme need for increased resources for victims, yet Harris County’s domestic violence response system is underfunded and faces staggering shortages:
Since 2022, Harris County has led the state in intimate partner violence homicides
Calls to domestic violence shelters have surpassed pre-pandemic levels
75% of people seeking shelter are turned away
Harris County has only 330 beds for 4.7 million residents – one bed for every 14,000 residents
New York City has approximately 10 times the number of shelter beds despite having less than two times the population of Harris County
Investing in solutions, advancing justice
The Harris County Domestic Violence System Coordination and Support Services project aims to decrease the turn-away rate by at least 10% over the next four years by:
Building capacity in personnel and resources
Improving community outreach
Establishing and maintaining public and private funding partnerships
Using data-driven evaluations to update best practices
An initial award of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Flexible funding will go to the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) to lead the new effort, with three one-year renewal options.
“Everyone deserves to be safe and free from violence,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones. “Making that a reality means ensuring Harris County must effectively support survivors. This investment is a crucial step toward addressing the urgent needs of survivors while building a sustainable and collaborative system to break the cycle of abuse.I am thankful to Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia, HAWC, and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council for their continued partnership, and the Biden-Harris Administration for this federal funding.”
With this latest investment, Harris County has committed nearly $20 million in ARPA and General funds to combat domestic violence since 2022. Additional initiatives include the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, Early Childhood Resiliency Fund, and Emergency Response Docket.
“In Texas, the domestic violence crisis is intensified by state policies that have made it easier to access guns and harder to access reproductive healthcare. But in Harris County, we are engaged in a full-court press against domestic violence, utilizing robust and holistic approaches aimed at prevention and supporting survivors. Today’s investment in better response systems is one more tool in our toolbox, and one more example of our community coming together—survivors, advocates, policymakers, and community members—to end the scourge of domestic violence,” said Commissioner Rodney Ellis.
“As the former Harris County Sheriff, I’ve seen first-hand the brutal horrors of violence against women,” said Commissioner Garcia. “Bringing perpetrators to justice will always be part of fighting this epidemic – but it’s not enough. Survivors and their families deserve specialized care and better access to services that break the vicious cycle of domestic violence. This grant will be transformative because it will supercharge the work already being done by a network of local organizations, scaling it up to support as many survivors as possible.”
“The Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) is honored to receive this investment from the County to improve the coordination of life-saving services for survivors of domestic violence. In cooperation with our sister agencies, we look forward to addressing this alarming public health crisis which results in horrific rates of femicide. Harris County can and will do better,” said Emilee D. Whitehurst, President and CEO, HAWC.
“HCDVCC is grateful to Harris County leadership for prioritizing safety for survivors,” said Barbie Brashear. “This funding provides a unique opportunity to listen deeply to the needs of those affected by domestic violence and work to improve how our community responds in ways that meet their unique and important challenges.”
“This funding will do enormous good by expanding services for survivors, improving coordination, and enabling better data collection to inform future policy. We are deeply grateful to Commissioner Briones and the Commissioners Court for this bold step toward making our region safer, said Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, Director of the University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality.
For more information on domestic violence resources visit hawc.org, hcdvcc.org, and tcfv.org/ok. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
Every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., a small group of people, binoculars in hand, set out on the nearly 0.75-mile trail at Precinct 4’s Kleb Woods Nature Center. The trail is quiet. The only thing the visitors can hear is the soft hum of the highway and the crunch of leaves under their feet. But, if they’re still, they can hear what they came for—the occasional chirp of a bird hiding in the brush or flitting between the trees. Every year, thousands of people visit Kleb Woods, located between Hockley and Tomball, with the hope of spotting some of the more than 200 bird species that live in the Harris County area. The center hosts both weekly bird walks and an annual hummingbird festival in September. On a weekly bird walk in the winter, visitors can spot anything from sedge wrens and rufous hummingbirds to orange-crowned warblers, cedar waxwings, and great-horned owls. When someone spots a bird, they get to add it to the running list of nearly 50 recent bird sittings on the center’s wall.
Residents in Harris County Precinct 4—from Katy to Tomball to Spring Branch, all the way up to Hockley and Waller—have seen major changes in their neighborhoods. Commissioner Lesley Briones and her team of over 460 public servants dedicated 2024 to addressing urgent needs while laying a strong foundation for the future. From responding to disasters, to building sidewalks, to securing free healthcare, the Precinct 4 team is improving lives today while preparing for tomorrow. “Each and every day, my team and I work to prove that government can deliver for the people,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones. “We hustle for our residents because they deserve nothing less. In 2024, we expanded critical services, strengthened community partnerships, and connected with every corner of the Precinct. I am energized to ramp up our efforts even further next year.” Here are some key highlights from 2024 and the difference they’ve made in our communities: Justice and Safety Invested in key areas of Harris County’s Criminal District Courts to make the justice system more efficient and fairer, benefitting victims, defendants, and their families Expanded support for domestic violence survivors through funding for children exposed to DV , yearly investment in the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, a new community outreach and education campaign, and a $1 million award to the Houston Area Women’s Center Strengthened law enforcement by adding funding for the TeleDeputy and VIPER programs into the county’s annual budget to reduce response times and target violent offenders Infrastructure Secured voter approval for Flood Control District Proposition A , ensuring repairs and upgrades to aging flood control infrastructure across the County Allocated $20M for n ew sidewalks to connect children and families to schools, work, places of worship and more Cleared several thousand truckloads of debri s while providing direct assistance to residents in need Invested $48 million in sustainable infrastructure across Precinct 4 through 2024 Places 4 People Health Launched a free health clinic with Baylor College of Medicine for teens and young adults ages 13-24, offering immunizations, sick visits, physicals, contraception, and mental health counseling Opened La Tiendita at Bayland Community Center to bring free, high-quality food, nutrition education, and other resources Installed four lactation pods in county court buildings to provide nursing parents a private place to pump Planted 1,200 trees in Alief through the Barbara Quattro Forest initiative to cool one of the hottest neighborhoods in Houston Education and Economic Opportunity Invested an additional $6.7 million into countywide apprenticeship program , bringing the total to $17.6 million in federal funds —the county’s largest-ever investment in paid training for quality union jobs Created a $17 million small business loan fund to support community growth Hosted over a dozen small business workshops to help business owners learn more about county contracts Good Government Approved a $2.67 billion budget after holding five town halls to gather community input, funding critical services like roads, drainage, law enforcement, and more Hosted six listening tours across the Precinct to hear residents’ ideas, concerns, and suggestions Increased property tax exemption for homeowners who are 65+ and/or disabled from $275,000 to $320,000 and exempted qualifying childcare centers from 100% of their County property taxes Received a $11.3 million National Park Service grant to improve Burnett Bayland Park In the Community Offered free summer programming to hundreds of children at Precinct parks and community centers Allowed the sale of fireworks for Diwali for the first time Showcased student artists through Precinct 4 bus design contest Precinct 4 is here to serve you. As we reflect on 2024’s progress, we are already planning for an even brighter future in 2025. Make it your New Year’s resolution to explore everything Precinct 4 has to offer—because when we invest in our communities, we all thrive.
