The Fort Bend Health Study is an evaluation of the residential services provided to survivors by Fort Bend Women’s Center (FBWC). Fort Bend Women’s Center offers a variety of services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children to Ft. Bend county and the broader Houston area. Secure, affordable, and stable housing is essential for everyone, but particularly for survivors as they seek safety, address trauma, and regain independence. Using a collaborative framework between the Center for Violence Prevention and the Fort Bend Women’s Center, this study is focused on understanding how providing essential residential services support survivors’ safety, address needs, and improve overall well-being.
This project is evaluating the process and outcomes of three residential services provided by FBWC, emergency shelter, short-term housing (through rapid rehousing vouchers), and long-term housing. The needs of FBWC’s residential service users are assessed using mixed-methods, longitudinal, in-depth interviews and surveys, and the needs of staff, through open-ended individual interviews.
Specific project questions include:
- What are service users (past and current) and staff member’s perceptions of the needs of survivors and staff in residential services and barriers to achieving goals?
- What are the components of the Ft. Bend Model of service?
- What is the process of providing residential services to family violence survivors at FBWC?
- What is the initial impact of FBWC’s residential programs on service users’ safety, housing and economic stability, and well-being (including physical and mental health and substance misuse)
For more information, contact Leila Wood at leiwood@utmb.edu or Project Manager, Maggy McGiffert at mmmcgiff@utmb.edu