September 23rd, 2025, was a day of celebration for the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) and its community partners as the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund (DVAF) Report was released. The Celebration of Hope was hosted by HCDVCC with the help of Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones and her wonderful staff at the Steve Raddack Community Center. Over 70 people gathered to hear Commissioner Briones speak about the tremendous impact this fund has had on Harris County and domestic violence survivors. She praised the amazing work of HCDVCC and the 19 Community Partners who use the DVAF to make a difference in the lives of so many.
Barbie Brashear, the Executive Director of HCDVCC, went on to give a brief history of the origins of the DVAF from CARES dollars and ARPA funds to now being a line item in the Harris County Budget! This would not have been possible without the tremendous support of Harris County Judge Lina Hildago and Commissioners Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Tom Ramsey, Lesley Briones and of course their hardworking, behind the scenes, making it happen staff members! Before some of the findings were released, a moving video was shown of DVAF partners talking about the impact DVAF had on their clients. There was not a dry eye in the house at the end! Barbie then revealed that in 2024, 1204 households were served with 3,331 individuals supported with 59% of them being children under the age of 18. Residents of all four Harris County Precincts benefited from the DVAF. The top needs of those who received DVAF were food (20%), daily living (17%) and rent (17%). The community impact of these funds can reduce strains on systems, including Emergency Rooms, Law Enforcement and Emergency Services which in turn can create stronger and safer communities by reducing recidivism and decreasing intimate partner homicides. DVAF also invests in long-term stability that can build a healthy Harris County. Barbie ended her remarks with a Call to Action- Give survivors safety and choice, Break barriers and Build futures, Invest in lifesaving solutions, Support local families in crisis, Join a coordinated response, Be part of systemic change, and finally Act now– we must respond in REAL TIME.
Dr. Leila Wood, the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Center for Violence Prevention at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) McGovern Medical School also joined in the celebration by presenting the highlights of the preliminary findings from her research project- Harris County DVAF: Examination of the Impact of Flexible Financial Assistance supported by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women (OVW). Her study is the among the first U.S. based longitudinal study of flexible financial assistance administered by domestic violence focused agencies to collect survivor-centered evidence about the impact of flexible financial funding. This study is a longitudinal, collaborative, mixed methods designed to examine the use and impact of DVAF for survivors to identify effective implementation strategies among the programs administering the funds. The study’s goals are to understand the impact of DVAF, explore factors that impact DVAF’s impact, and examine program administration for implementation guidance.
The project has recruited participants from the participating partners by having them fill out a survey and then interviews were conducted of some of the participants as well as the staff at the partner agencies. The preliminary findings indicate the top ways recipients have found about DVAF was from friends and family (24%), other social service agencies (20%), police/law enforcement (18%) and online research (18%). The findings also reveal that 97% of the participants are women with 83.2% having children under the age of 18 and 71.8% have experienced homelessness due to domestic violence or conflict in their relationship in the last 6 months. The findings revealed that the funds are used for economic, education and employment purposes which include but are not limited to job training, transportation to jobs, laptops for school or work, childcare, and clearing up debt related to barriers for rental or credit history, some have even started small businesses. DVAF also addresses safety and housing related needs as well as family and children’s needs along with health-related needs like medications and counseling. 90% of those surveyed reported that the DVAF helped with their safety. As one survivor put it “There is no doubt he would have killed me if these funds were not available.”
The biggest reveal was the impact DVAF had on the staff that were able to distribute these funds. Survivors felt connected to and were treated fairly by staff members they interacted with. The staff interviewed for this study felt they were able to make an impact on the lives of their clients and DVAF allowed them to do their jobs better by addressing critical needs of clients that are not funded in any other way and by adding another tool to the toolbox for client’s safety. As one advocated stated “So, I mean for me, it just helps, it kinda makes me feel really nice, because it’s like, I’m knowing that this person’s gonna have somewhere to sleep tonight, and they’re gonna be safe. Or this person’s gonna have gas to be able to leave in the middle of the night as we safety plan to, or they’re gonna have money to feed their little baby for the next couple of days while their food stamps hit.”
Dr. Woods ended her presentation by talking about how the nation is looking to see how Harris County implemented the DVAF so they can try and replicate it in their community. Many communities have tried but few, if any, have had the success that Harris County has had with DVAF. The hope is that the County continues to recognize the importance of and the need to keep DVAF funded!
