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 s...

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 prov...

By Holly Cunningham-Kizer he most common questions asked about victims of domestic violence are, “Why did she go back?” or “Why does she stay?” The answer more often than not is that she had nowhere else to go. Most of us go home at night and sleep peacefully in our own beds. We’ve never had to make...

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...

Slight decreases in the ad valorem tax rate are what Buda and Kyle city leaders approved when adopting the Fiscal Year 2018 budgets earlier this month. In Buda, the property tax rate will go down by 31 thousandths of a cent. With the average home value increasing by roughly $13,000 in 2017, the prop...

Non-profit organizations in the community got the news Tuesday that the Buda City Council would award $25,500 in grants from the general fund. The agenda originally called for distribution of $20,500. The presentation was made July 18 at a special budget workshop. Various local non-profit organizati...

entral Texas residents came out to donate and support local organizations making a positive impact and helping the community through the Amplify Austin fundraising event, which was held March 1-3. Amplify Austin was a success for many local organizations, including the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, ...

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 ...

She 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 ...