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Silhouettes representing the murder victims of domestic violence adorn the walls of Westland Baptist Church as part of the Silent Witness program on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Katy.<\/p>\n
By Claire Goodman \/ Staff Writer<\/p>\n
Harris County leads the state in turning away women who seek shelter from domestic violence, a recent study found, underscoring a yearslong trend of local advocates struggling to keep pace with rising numbers of abuse cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n The trend also is likely to worsen, with President Donald Trump\u2019s administration cutting many grants\u00a0nonprofits rely on to fund shelter beds and the Houston Police Department noncommittal about the future of many of its services for abuse survivors.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Federal cuts trigger layoffs at Houston domestic violence groups amid rising partner abuse deaths<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The result is that 75% of the women who sought a bed \u00a0in one of Harris County\u2019s domestic violence shelters were denied admittance last year, according to data provided to the Houston Chronicle by the Texas Council on Family Violence.<\/p>\n That figure leads all counties in Texas, according to a recent survey the nonprofit conducted<\/a> of more than 200 women. Statewide, the study found the rate at which women are turned away has more than doubled in the last 15 years, to 51%.<\/p>\n The need is immense, said Barbie\u00a0Brashear, executive director of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. Local organizations have about 425 shelter beds. Yet more than 2 million women live in Harris County, and data suggest a third of them will face an abusive relationship in their lives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole field is experiencing a crisis because of a perfect storm,\u201d\u00a0Brashear said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got available grants dwindling, uncertainty around the future of existing grants, extremely stressed staff. And then you were already dealing with shortages started during COVID that never righted themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Organizations in Harris County offered more days in a shelter in 2025 than they did in 2024, the study found \u2013 demand simply outpaced growth, said Molly\u00a0Voyles, director of public policy for the statewide council, which conducted the survey.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you have in Harris County is an impressive system of advocates that are strained resource-wise,\u201d\u00a0Voyles said.<\/p>\n A third of those denied a shelter bed last year returned to their violent homes, researchers found. Another quarter opted to live in an unsafe place, such as a car or on the streets.<\/p>\n Local advocates call for more resources<\/p>\n Local advocates against domestic violence for years have tried to raise awareness about the lack of resources for victims in the face of rising numbers of family violence-related homicides in Harris County.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like drinking from a fire hydrant,\u201d\u00a0Brashear said. \u201cDemand for these services is really, really high. If you\u2019re tracking the numbers, you\u2019re seeing it.\u201d<\/p>\n