Privilege Law and Domestic Violence
Effective September 1, 2017, the Texas legislature passed H.B. 3649, a law protecting the communications between domestic violence victims and their advocates at domestic violence shelters. The intention behind the law is simple: abusers should not have, through criminal or civil subpoena, access to the records kept by domestic violence shelters of the person they…
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Genesis HeROs: A Band of Brothers
Eight years ago, a group of men came together to address a challenging question: how can we end violence against women and children in our community? Those men became the founding members of our Genesis HeROs (He Respects Others) auxiliary, rallying hundreds to band together and join their movement. Our HeROs are true heroes in…
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New Year, New You?
As we turn the page to 2019, it’s customary to start January by reflecting on goals and aspirations for the new year. Whether you want to clean out your closet, redo your home décor or get involved with volunteering, Genesis has opportunities to fit your needs for the new year. Clean Out Your Closet…
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Three Reasons to Make a Year-End Contribution
Originally written for My Sweet Charity Genesis Women’s Shelter relies on the generosity of our community year-round to keep our operations running. Because of the kindness of our volunteers and donors, more than 2,500 woman and children who have experienced domestic violence will walk through our doors this year alone to receive critical life-saving services.…
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What (you shouldn’t have) to Expect When You’re Expecting
At any given time, as I scroll through facebook I see multiple friends and family’s post-pregnancy and birth announcements. I smile as I think about the excitement around gender reveal parties, baby showers, decorating nurseries and choosing names. These little bundles of joy can bring… well, so much joy, but as most parents can attest,…
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Part II: Breaking the Cycle
Understanding the connection between violence towards animals and violence towards people This guest blog was written originally for the SPCA of Texas by Marlo Clingman. It is part of a series; Part I can be found here. WARNING: In this series of posts, the SPCA of Texas addresses some deeply serious issues surrounding the connection between…
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Budgeting as a Single Parent
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned Parenting is a tough full-time job that doesn’t pay financially, and millions of Americans do it alone these days. This is a pressing issue for many survivors of domestic abuse who may be starting over and learning to manage a household solo. In addition to the difficult work of healing from…
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The Experience of Spiritual Abuse
Spiritual abuse is spirituality that has turned toxic. It ceases to be beneficial and instead becomes a tool to inflict emotional, spiritual and physical damage. Through in-depth interviews with spiritual abuse survivors, researcher David J. Ward identified six core themes of spiritual abuse. The following list is adapted from his article, “The Lived Experience of…
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Domestic Violence in the Courtroom
“I’m going to take the kids from you if you ever leave.” “I’m going to tell the judge you’re crazy and a bad mother. They’ll believe me and not you.” “You can’t keep my kids from me, I have rights. You’re going to get in trouble.” The counselors and advocates at Genesis hear these stories…
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Self-Care During the Holidays
The holidays are upon us! For many people, the holidays are a joyous time to enjoy the company of family and loved ones, but for many of our clients and for domestic violence survivors, the holidays can be an exceptionally difficult time. The holidays can be a time of isolation, memories of past holidays (good…
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