SAN MARCOS — Each October, communities around the United States gather to support the victims and survivors of domestic violence. This year, Hays County Crime Stoppers (HCCS) is joining forces with local law enforcement agencies and the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center to take a stand against and raise ...

By Sahar Chmais Numbers can be deceiving. The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC) observed this bitter truth during the heights of the pandemic that silenced the voice of many abuse victims. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of people seeking housing and other help from the HCWC ...

By Kiara Nicholson, H CWC Prevention Educator and   Brandon Pendleton, HCWC Primary Prevention Coordinator obody has relationships “figured out,” and no relationship is perfect. It might seem like that couple a few doors down from you is flawless, or your friend’s grandparents who have been married ...

ripping Springs High student Addie Villas understands the circumstances surrounding dating violence can often go unnoticed. Through the student-led Domestic Violence Advisory Board, Villas and other Dripping Springs ISD students hope to shed more light on a problem they say is all too prevalent in t...

By Melissa G. Rodriguez,  HCWC Director of Community Partnerships   ecently, Texas Council on Family Violence published its annual “Honoring Texas Women” 2016 report documenting the stories of the 146 women in Texas killed by their intimate partners. The report includes one woman from our two county...

By Chantal Pierre,  MSW and Legal Advocate in the Counseling & Resource Center at HCWC  requently we hear of news stories focusing on how poverty, unemployment and substance abuse are devastating families and communities in rural areas. But as the number of domestic violence victims and services pro...

ith Hurricane Harvey blasting into our state, followed by multiple storms and earthquakes not so far from home, we have been buffeted by constant news coverage bringing feelings of terror and sadness.  To some degree, we have all experienced trauma which is defined is as “a deeply distressing or dis...

By Katherine E. Casarez, Sociologist and advocate in the McCoy Family Shelter at HCWC ll across the country, the issue and impact of sexual violence on college campuses has been a dominant subject in conversations on student safety and gender-based violence. While the pervasiveness of campus sexual ...

S he drives a really nice car and always carries the latest designer handbag. From the outside, it appears that she lives a pampered life. But what people don’t know is that there is no money in that designer handbag because her husband doesn’t allow her access to their bank accounts.  Her neighbors...

The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center knows that survivors of domestic violence face many challenges even after leaving the abusive relationship.  One of the most difficult can be sharing custody of children with their abuser. Shared custody can provide a way for the abuser to perpetuate the abuse agains...