HCWC still serving victims of abuse during crisis

The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center has been serving the community during a time of personal crisis for over 40 years, addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and child abuse have all been the core of the work at HCWC.

Today, the entire community is experiencing a form of crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking for new ways to balance the need for safety in this quickly changing environment. This is especially challenging for those who already find themselves in danger every day, a reality made worse now that we’re all told to stay at home.

The HCWC is still here to serve those who are in fear in their personal relationships or experiencing renewed trauma from past abuse. The HCWC serves women, men and children who live, work or go to school in Hays or Caldwell County. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, HCWC has made adjustments to ensure the safety of victims of abuse and the staff who serve them.

“For weeks we’ve planned and researched diligently to find the best ways to continue our commitment to safety and the quality of service victims of abuse and the community deserve,” HCWC Executive Director Marla Johnson said in a statement. “By sharing resources with statewide and national partners and utilizing the creativity of our dedicated staff members, we have reworked all of our emergency services and found ways to continue services for current clients while maintaining social distancing. We are increasing our digital communication to educate the public about the effects of abuse. All HCWC staff members are working on site or off site to provide the best services possible.”

The HCWC’s emergency services include its 24-hour HELPLine for crisis calls, 24-hour hospital response, emergency child forensic interviews and its 24-hour emergency shelter.

• 24-hour HELPLine — victims of abuse may call 24 hours a day for crisis counseling at 512-396- 4357(HELP); a trained professional will be taking all calls to talk confidentially, provide safety planning and connect to resources available. During times of high call volume, HCWC may take a number and arrange for another advocate to call back as soon as possible .
• 24-hour Hospital Response — when a victim goes to the hospital for a sexual assault exam or family violence, HCWC plans to send a trained staff member or volunteer to accompany the victim throughout the process. This has been HCWC’s practice for over 40 years.
• Emergency Forensic Interviews — only law enforcement or child protective services can refer a child for an emergency forensic interview when there are allegations of child abuse; interviews are provided only by one of our trained forensic interviewers at Roxanne’s House, the HCWC's children’s advocacy center.
• McCoy Emergency Family Shelter — for victims of family violence from Hays or Caldwell County in eminent danger and in need of emergency shelter for themselves and their children, the shelter is open and staffed 24 hours daily.

Currently, HCWC is not taking donations of items and there are no volunteers or visitors on site to minimize exposure.

HCWC is also committed to continuing to work with the people who were already receiving critical services by finding new ways to provide counseling and advocacy. HCWC is reaching out via telephone and video options with safety protocols in place to ensure client safety.

Additionally, HCWC is ramping up its education and prevention work utilizing digital platforms. Visit the website www.hcwc.org for information on services and resources available to the community and the educational website www.stopthehurt.org for educational content, videos, quizzes and articles for everyone.

“We know this is a hard time for everyone. We know this is especially difficult for victims of abuse and we remain committed to providing support,” Johnson said. “We’ve all been put in a position that makes us feel unsafe and confused about the future, but there is hope. So many people are working hard to ensure there is a safety net. We remain optimistic that we can all be a part of efforts to build healthy communities in Hays and Caldwell counties.”