The Resilience of Survivors

December 11, 2014

Everyone knows that housing in Austin is getting more expensive all the time. And for single moms with kids

Helping Kids by Helping Dads

November 20, 2014

Marcus Griggs was ready for a new challenge when he accepted the position of Fatherhood Specialist at SafePlace, where he has been has been making a difference as a Children’s Advocate since 2001. Marcus’s new role is part of the new Project HOPES initiative, a partnership between SafePlace, Any Baby Can, and Austin Children’s Services […]

How do you get two men to talk about family violence?

June 19, 2014

Ask them to make flowers. Barri Rosenbluth, the director of SafePlace’s Expect Respect program, was a little surprised when the City of Austin approached her about participating in a litter prevention program. But she knew that the themes of respect – for people as well as for the environment – were universal. And so this spring, Expect […]

Austin Children’s Services: Why We Changed Our Name

June 17, 2014

by Kelly White, CEO, Austin Children’s Services The Austin Children’s Shelter officially changed its name last month, to Austin Children’s Services. Here’s why. In the summer of 2013, ACS launched the first of three new community-based programs intended to reach more kids and families in need by keeping them safe in their own homes. First up […]

KIDS COUNT

June 27, 2013

by Katelyn Gorski, Communications Assistant, SafePlace Thursday, June 27 The Center for Public Policy Priorities’ National KIDS COUNT 2013 data book is out. The report ranks the well-being of Texas kids in four categories: economic, education, health care and family and community. Overall, we are ranked 42nd in the nation for childhood well-being (up from 44th). This […]

Protect Our Kids Act A Good Start

January 24, 2013

Last week the Dept. of Family & Protective Services released the 2012 Data Book, its annual tally of the epidemic of child abuse in our state. It’s always a sad moment to flip through the charts and graphs, as they categorize victims and perpetrators by race, by relationship, by location – because the numbers are so […]

Teaming Up to Root Out Abuse

January 17, 2013

Karen Bartoletti,Matt Womack,Mark Mouritsen, LIFT Alliance Board Chairs, wrote an Op-Ed for the Austin American-Statesman this week about how an alliance between SafePlace and the Austin Children’s Shelter would allow them to offer new programs to clients, combine their voices to advocate for change, and share costs. By Karen Bartoletti,Matt Womack,Mark Mouritsen Despite years of effort — building bigger shelters, providing […]

Tell Congress: VAWA Works. Let’s Keep it! – by Julia Spann

December 10, 2012

Perkins was gunned down by the father of her three-month-old daughter, Jovan Belcher, who then killed himself. Kasandra’s murder made the news because her boyfriend was a professional football player, but family violence is a tragedy that hides in plain sight all around us, every day. Hundreds of Texas women and children are killed by […]

Protecting Texas’ Children is a Mission Impossible – by Kelly White

November 14, 2012

The headline on Saturday’s Metro and State section read, “Family services chief resigns.” Reading further we learn just a few of the lurid details associated with recent child abuse deaths in Texas. Texas children have died, and as a fervent frontier state, we will exact revenge. Howard Baldwin, the man at the helm of the […]

LIFT: An Alliance to End Abuse – Message by Julia Spann, SafePlace Executive Director

October 1, 2012

Understanding the trauma of sexual assault and domestic violence, working to end it, and helping to lift up women, children and men who have been abused is why SafePlace exists. Many of the people who call us have one type of victimization – domestic violence only, or perhaps they have been raped by an acquaintance. […]