Womens Shelter Of South Texas

Sexual assault program services are available to female and male victims of sexual assault and their families within a twelve-county region of south texas including aransas, bee, brooks, duval, jim wells, kenedy, kleberg, live oak, mcmullen, nueces, refugio, and san patricio counties. Of the 2,101 clients served by the women's shelter of south texas dba the purple door, 450 were victims of sexual assault. Services were provided 24-hours per day, 365 days per year and included: safe shelter, advocacy, safety planning, individual and group counseling, crisis hotline, sexual assault services, youth-directed services, legal advocacy, and rural outreach services. Prevention and education services were also provided to address ending sexual violence before it starts. The sexual assault program provides free, comprehensive, supportive intervention services to victims while pivoting towards the engagement of each community served through intensive prevention and education strategies to stop the violence before it even occurs. Agency services address incidents of sexual violence, sexual violence that occurs as part of domestic violence, and offender accountability. The sexual assault services coordinator and trained volunteers respond to the regional rape trauma center and emergency rooms across the twelve-county service area 24 hours a day, 365 days per year to provide support to rape victims and their families following a sexual assault. Information regarding agency services, crime victims' rights, and counseling is provided. Follow-up is conducted for all victims requesting agency support. Individual and group counseling is conducted to address the immediate and long-term effects of the assault on the victim and the family. Family members, including children, may also receive counseling services to address their individual issues and concerns.victims are able to access:- toll-free 24-hour crisis hotline- 65-bed shelter/safe house operated 365-days per year providing basic needs (food, clothing, counseling, support service, shelter)- youth services: counseling, mentoring for school success, activity groups, safety planning, and summer activities designed to support and educate primary and secondary child victims- counseling services: individual and group counseling for adults and age-appropriate counseling for children- legal advocacy: assistance with protective order application, accompaniment to police/sheriff departments and court proceedings, and assistance filing crime victim compensation claims- advocacy: services to obtain community resources such as affordable housing, childcare, employment, medical care for the adult and child, and education.prevention and education are key components of the sexual assault program. The purple door has a team of community educators, half for domestic violence and half for sexual violence, who provide professional and community training for audiences of all types and ages addressing the dynamics of family violence, sexual assault, and violence-prevention initiatives with a specific curriculum focused on youth. The program was developed to support initiatives of the office of the attorney general and research by the centers for disease control and prevention with the goal of addressing violence before it occurs rather than after the violence has been perpetrated. Community education is a long-term and continuing process as the cultural norms that must be changed in order to achieve and sustain a violence-free community are only modified over time and with repeated exposure to prevention education and reinforcement from the community.the women's shelter of south texas dba the purple door recognizes the vital role of all citizens and organizations in addressing domestic and sexual violence in our communities, and in developing community-specific prevention strategies that work towards ending the violence before it ever begins.

The purple door resale shop opened in july 2023 to engage the community in a unique way. Donated items, including clothing, small furniture, and household goods, are accepted at the back of the store. These items are carefully sorted by a specialized team and sold at low prices. Clients of the purple door are given gift cards that allow them to shop freely, providing a discreet shopping experience. All proceeds from the shop go toward funding the agency's free, comprehensive services for clients across the purple door's twelve county service area. Additionally, the shop holds specific donation items for shelter use, ensuring the shelter's location remains confidential. In its first year, purple door resale has not only brought the community together in support of a good cause, but also increased awareness of the purple door's mission to empower the community and those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault to transition to a safe and healthy environment.

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