The Case for the Foundation Campaign
The foundation campaign will ensure long-term stability for The Family Place so that we can continue to provide lifesaving services for victims of family violence, even during times of uncertainty. We vividly learned through the experiences of 2020 and Winter Storm Uri that The Family Place is an essential service. We never closed our doors during the pandemic and were the only domestic violence shelter in Dallas to continue accepting clients regardless of symptoms. Even when we evacuated the Safe Campus due to Winter Storm Uri and relocated 123 women and children, we never stopped our necessary programs. We are front line workers during times of crisis and must be on solid financial footing during such a critical time. The foundation campaign will help sustain tour efforts to keep victims of family violence safe and fulfill our mission to end domestic violence.

The Family Place’s Promise to Dallas
The Family Place has protected families in North Texas since 1978. We help victims become survivors and make Dallas a safer place for all of us. Domestic violence prevention is crime prevention. Women, children and men fleeing violence are at a high risk of physical harm and murder by someone they love. They come to us often with only the clothes they are wearing for protection. Domestic violence is not a family issue, but a pervasive problem that makes all of us less safe. If people aren’t safe in their homes, how can we feel safe in our city? Victims come to us through our 24-hour hotline, arrive in the back of police cars, and are referred by counselors, clergy, friends and family. All of our victims’ services are free. Regardless of the path that brings a victim to our door, The Family Place is a home away from home for families working to put their lives back together.

• The Family Place is the largest domestic violence service provider in Texas with a 14 million dollar budget.
• We operate three emergency shelters that provide 45% of all of the domestic violence shelter beds in Dallas County.
• We provide the state’s only domestic violence shelter for men and the only shelter in the country that allows men to bring their children to safety.
• We are constantly searching for innovative and efficient ways to better serve victims of violence.
• Our services are growing rapidly. We sheltered 1,392 women, children and men in 2018, 1,635 in 2019 and 1,520 in 2020.
• In 2020 we opened a new, expanded counseling office in Southern Dallas to bring counseling and support to victims living there who have transportation and other barriers to accessing services, and to address the high rates of domestic violence homicides among African American women in Dallas County.
• Loss of life is the ultimate cost. Over the past four years, there were 58 domestic violence murders in the City of Dallas (Texas Council on Family Violence).

Dallas’ Promise to The Family Place
The Family Place has honored its commitment to keep victims safe for over 42 years. In return, Dallas must commit to continue to help us provide free services to all victims fleeing family violence. 

Every year there are approximately 15,000 family violence offenses in Dallas alone and more than 8,000 requests for protective orders from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. With your support, we will protect those who cannot protect themselves. Safe homes are the first step to a safe society, and The Family Place is where family violence STOPS.

Your support of An Enduring Promise allows The Family Place to utilize critical funds as needed for unplanned expenses, funding gaps and unforeseen capital expenditures. Our necessary services are lifechanging and lifesaving, and your donation to the foundation will ensure the following programs continue to fully operate:

Protection Services

• Emergency and long-term solutions for safe housing that take victims out of harm’s way
• 24/7 bilingual hotline for crisis and informational calls
• 177 shelter beds to keep women, children and men safe from family violence
• Counseling and support to stabilize families and break the cycle of violence

Children’s Services

• Programs to help children change their perceptions of normalcy and teach them how to build healthy relationships
• Proven therapeutic children’s counseling to help children stop hurting and move forward to put their lives back on track
• On-site children’s education services for families living in our Safe Campus Shelter
• Supervised child visitation and monitored exchange with non-custodial parents at Faith and Liberty’s Place to continue keeping families safe

Client Empowerment

• Job readiness programs, mentoring and resume help to break the cycle of poverty among domestic violence victims
• Childcare and transportation
• Scholarships
• Client assistance such as financial support for rent, eviction, legal services and medical costs

Prevention Services

• Be Project educating DISD students about healthy relationships
• Classroom education, leadership groups and counseling, to teach young people to “be” safe, kind and courageous
• Battering Intervention and Prevention services that work with abusers to prevent further abuse from occurring

For more information about The Family Place Foundation Campaign, please contact Mary Catherine Benavides at (214) 443-7770 or mcbenavides@familyplace.org.