Two months in the past, a San Antonio mom of three was bodily assaulted by her associate of greater than 15 years. It took her two occasions to name 9-1-1; hesitant, she realized that day wouldn’t be the final time he would hit her.
All through the connection, she had misplaced depend of the occasions she considered leaving due to emotional and verbal abuse, however she lastly left when it turned bodily.
We confer with her as “J.” on this story upon her request in an effort to guard her from doable retaliation. Her assailant and ex-partner was her highschool sweetheart.
After her associate was arrested, Bexar County’s Security Group Energetic Response (STAR) program created a security plan for her and obtained her to the Household Violence Prevention Middle’s Battered Ladies and Youngsters’s Shelter earlier than a bond may very well be posted.
The STAR program is a home violence navigation line that began as a joint effort between the Metropolis of San Antonio and Bexar County in 2021. However when funding for this system resulted in 2023, it relaunched in April 2024 and moved to Bexar County.
The STAR program now primarily serves individuals dwelling in unincorporated areas of Bexar County, however helps join anybody looking for assist to assets and businesses out there. It connects survivors of home violence who name 9-1-1 on to case managers who might help them plan to flee unsafe conditions inside 24 hours.
Deputies who reply to home or household violence calls contact the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council or STRAC, which calls the survivor to do an evaluation to find out their danger of being killed by a romantic associate or member of the family.
Excessive danger survivors get assist instantly, and at-risk survivors get assist inside 24 hours.
Outcomes of that evaluation go to one in all 10 county disaster case managers who’re on name 24 hours a day, every of whom deal with a median case load of 30 to 35.
J. described being in a state of shock, nonetheless processing what had occurred, whereas answering the questions over the telephone. She was labeled in danger.
It meant she would wish to attend 24 hours to get assist, however as a result of she had been assaulted on a Friday she would have needed to wait till Monday. However after a number of calls to the shelter and to Metro Well being’s Violence Prevention workplace, the county and metropolis labored collectively to get J. into the shelter as quickly as doable.
She moved out of the shelter together with her kids in early November. The household’s pets, who had been staying on the Bexar County Animal Facility, at the moment are with the household.
Since its launch in July, this system has assisted individuals in Bexar County 1,108 occasions — 1,038 of these are all completely different survivors who sought assist.
Of the individuals who have sought assist from the home violence navigation line, 42% report being choked or strangled, and 28% of them report their abusers have threatened to kill them.
Extra troubling statistics: 75% reported home violence has occurred to them earlier than, however solely 11% reported that regulation enforcement obtained concerned in these conditions.
County knowledge reveals that 75% of survivors have a minimum of one youngster.
“Regardless that these are crimes of escalation, generally even after they get actually dangerous, individuals are nonetheless not speaking,” mentioned Andrea Guerrero-Guajardo, director of the county’s well being division, at an Oct. 7 press convention. “We wish to say it’s successful story when a sufferer lastly leaves their abuser, however what we are saying is that it’s successful story each time an individual requires assist.”
Home violence accounted for half of Bexar County’s murders in 2024.
Hours after Bexar County leaders addressed rising traits in home violence, Olmos Park actual property agent and mom of 4 Suzanne Clark Simpson was reported lacking.
A press convention the next day would inform the world that neighbors noticed her concerned in a bodily altercation together with her husband of twenty-two years and the neighbor didn’t report it. Simpson’s husband has been charged together with her homicide.
“The primary factor that’s hampering our efforts is that it is a crime that happens within the shadows. We don’t learn about it many occasions till it’s too late,” mentioned Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, who in his re-election mentioned lowering San Antonio’s home violence homicides was amongst his prime priorities.
“This isn’t a difficulty that goes away. It doesn’t repair itself. Abusers don’t cease being abusers. It’s against the law that must be reported,” he mentioned.
The navigation line program confronted criticism from the Bexar County Commissioners Court docket for ending its joint effort with town and for breaking off right into a county effort whereas town continues its personal initiative.
Deputy Metropolis Supervisor Maria Villagomez mentioned this system needed to transfer to the county due to a CDC grant that ended, and that the plan was at all times to develop the navigation line to grow to be a county initiative.
A trajectory modified
J., 33, mentioned the main points of that day are nonetheless a blur, however she’ll always remember how her associate backhanded her, grabbed her hair, and hit the facet of her head. She heard a ringing in her ear and her proper eye was bruised.
Her associate was arrested on expenses of household violence, however she knew he would publish bail instantly, so she wanted to cover together with her kids someplace he couldn’t attain her.
“I simply thought — my youngsters — I [didn’t] need him to take the keys,” she mentioned. “I simply didn’t need him to get to the children or attempt to take them, as a result of he’s threatened to take them up to now.”
“I felt dangerous. I’d by no means executed something like that, like a giant step towards him. I’ve by no means gone towards him … I used to be similar to, I’m lastly executed,” she mentioned.
On the shelter, advocates and case managers proceed to help her in submitting a protecting order and for full custody of her kids, and so they’re all getting counseling providers.
“I had some relations I might have gone to, however he would’ve gone to go search for me then,” she mentioned. “If I used to be at a relations’ [home], it might have been simpler to go proper again.”
J. later came upon that the rationale her associate had been aggressive and irritable was as a result of his battle with drug habit, which she didn’t know had been occurring for a number of years. When the abuse obtained worse, he had elevated his drug use, she mentioned.
CEO of Household Violence Prevention Companies Inc. Marta Peláez mentioned figuring out there are assets is one factor, however taking motion and leaving is more durable.
“The variety of those that obtain info of assets out there may be giant, however the precise variety of those that make that vital telephone name to the shelter [or to 9-1-1], is a fraction. That’s the truth,” she mentioned.
The Household Violence Prevention Companies Inc. just lately expanded a survey that tracks the prevalence of the teenager courting violence amongst teenagers. It began at one North Aspect highschool, however was shared throughout a number of faculty districts in Bexar County.
“A very powerful alternative that we’ve got to cut back home violence is with the following technology. If we need to break the cycle and scale back the incidents of home violence in our group in the future, we’ve got to make particular efforts to teach the kids [and] teenagers,” she mentioned.
In accordance with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Workplace, aggravated household violence arrests have elevated exponentially over the previous two years. Annually in San Antonio, there are roughly 40,000 household violence-related calls to SAPD. The variety of home violence homicides in Bexar County doubled from 4 in 2023 to a minimum of 9 up to now in 2024.
Nonetheless, household violence case dismissals are at 80% in Bexar County.
“We are going to proceed to make use of all efforts to carry abusers accountable, even when victims can’t be current,” mentioned Bexar County District Legal professional Joe Gonzales on the Oct. 7 press convention.
However there are nonetheless gaps that exist in escaping home violence conditions in San Antonio. Like J, too many individuals are pressured to make a number of calls to get into the Battered Ladies’s and Youngsters’s Shelter, Peláez mentioned.
Companies needs to be delivered instantly, she mentioned, as a result of the braveness the sufferer has to lastly make that telephone name to go away, in addition to that chance they could have to go away, could occur solely as soon as.
“In the event that they doesn’t obtain acceptable, instant assist, that chance can be misplaced,” Peláez mentioned.
When you witness home violence, name Crime Stoppers at 210-335-6000.
Name 9-1-1 if instant assist is required.
