The coronavirus pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for agencies providing services to survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking and survivors themselves across the state of Texas and throughout the United States. The Coronavirus Safety project fills the gap in available knowledge by generating multi-state data on available services for survivors of interpersonal violence; explore perceptions of service-providers on meeting the needs of survivors; and identify innovative programs and practices in service delivery to survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study assesses the safety and needs of service providers working with survivors of interpersonal violence, and survivors during the Coronavirus pandemic through a brief survey and follow-up interviews. This project seeks to provide vital information to service agencies, stakeholders, and survivors in Texas and beyond. Specifically, the project answers:

1. How is the Coronavirus pandemic impacting agencies focused on violence prevention and intervention?
2. What are the strategies being used to prevent and mitigate the impact of violence?
3. What are the safety and resource-related needs of violence survivors and the staff who work with them during the Coronavirus pandemic?

Questions or want to learn more? Contact Leila Wood, PhD at leiwood@utmb.edu

To see our first project brief here on violence prevention and intervention staff experiences, Click here.

The Center for Violence Prevention has created an 18-week Healthy Relationship Texting Campaign that includes information and national resources about healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be inequities faced by members of our communities, especially those who are isolated. If you or someone you know is in a harmful relationship, please use or share this free resource. To sign up, text the word CONNECT to the short phone number 37420.

El Centro de Prevención a la Violencia ha creado una campaña de mensajes de textos por 18-semanas sobre las Relaciones Saludables la cual incluye información y recursos nacionales sobre las relaciones saludables, no-saludables y abusivas. Durante la pandemia del COVID-19 habrá desigualdades enfrentadas por miembros en nuestras comunidades, especialmente aquellos que se encuentren aislados. Si usted o alguien que usted conoce se encuentra en una relación dañina , por favor utilice o comparta este recurso gratuito. Para suscribirse, envíe un texto con la palabra CONECTAR al numero corto 37420.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges with deep impacts to the safety, stability, and wellness of Harris County residents, especially those impacted by domestic violence (DV). While we have early indicators from police reports and DV-focused professionals that the COVID-19 pandemic increased DV, we have not heard directly from DV survivors, partners using violence, and those at high risk for DV victimization and offending. To address this gap, The Center for Violence Prevention (CVP) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) partnered with the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) to examine the experiences of Harris County residents impacted by DV. The goals of the Harris County Health and Relationship Study (HCHR) were to 1) understand the impact of COVID-19 on DV and 2) assess needs and service experiences of Harris County residents impacted by DV to improve community recovery, safety, and wellness. To meet these goals, we conducted comprehensive online surveys with 446 Harris County residents impacted by DV, and follow-up interviews were done with 48 survey participants. Survey participants were 77.8% female-identified and 54% were recruited from DV-related community organizations.

COVID Community Collaborative Meetings are held every two weeks. For up-to-date information on times and virtual meeting links, please visit us here.