AVDA

AVDA aims to ending domestic abuse and interpersonal violence. We envision a non-abusive and violence-free environment where relationships are based on mutual respect.

As we work toward ending domestic abuse, our goals include:
1. Removing barriers to safety and independence for survivors of domestic abuse.
2. Intervening with abusers to break the cycle of domestic abuse.
3. Addressing societal norms and values that contribute to violence and marginalization of women, girls, and other groups.

As we work toward ending domestic abuse, strategies to meet our goals include:
1. Removing barriers to safety and independence for survivors of domestic abuse through:
a. Legal Advocacy in family law cases, with the majority of families served falling in to no/low income and the working poor.
b. Survivor Advocacy including crisis intervention, needs assessment, referrals for other social services, and emergency financial assistance for rent, utilities, food, transportation, and clothing.
c. Trauma Counseling including individual, family, and group sessions to address the emotional and traumatic impact of abuse.

2. Intervening with abusers to break the cycle of domestic abuse through implementation of AVDA's Battering Intervention and Prevention Program, an 18-week, group counseling program focused on personal growth and accountability to change abusive behavior.

3. Addressing societal norms and values that contribute to violence and marginalization of women, girls, and other groups by increasing community awareness and teaching our young people about healthy relationships to prevent abuse. AVDA outreach efforts include training social service providers and law enforcement, participating in resource fairs, and presenting to adults. AVDA provides youth abuse prevention and education in schools and juvenile justice programs across the region at no cost to the community.

For over 40 years, AVDA has provided culturally sensitive, holistic services to the Greater Houston Area aimed at ending domestic abuse. In addition to its direct services for victims (Legal Advocacy Program) and for perpetrators (Battering Intervention and Prevention Program), AVDA has provided training for the judges, court personnel, and corrections and probation officers over the past 40 years. Created in 2014, AVDA’s Community Awareness and Prevention Program (CAPP) addresses general community awareness and youth abuse prevention, as well as trains hundreds of social service providers, faith leaders, medical professionals, and law enforcement victim advocates annually.
AVDA has been the recipient of federal, state, and local government grants for the past 40 years, developing the financial and human resource capacity to manage large grants that require multiple levels of oversight. AVDA has also been the recipient of private foundation, corporate, and United Way funding, developing the reporting infrastructure required to provide accurate detailed reports of outputs and produce outcomes. We have the experience needed to manage the financial, programmatic, and organizational responsibilities associated with implementing strategies to accomplish the stated goals.
Through the Legal Advocacy Program (LAP), AVDA has provided free legal representation to more than 100,000 survivors of abuse since the agency’s formation in 1980. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of LAP clients fall below the Federal Poverty Guidelines and an additional 30% of clients are considered “working poor.” In total, 98% of AVDA LAP clients cannot afford quality legal representation to advocate for their rights. Using a team of licensed staff attorneys, AVDA advocates for its clients in court, providing them with protective orders, divorce, child support/custody, and adoption services. AVDA's LAP clients may receive safety planning, trauma counseling, assistance with victims’ crime compensation application, emergency funding, and referrals for services not provided by AVDA (like housing, job readiness, etc.). Additionally, AVDA staff attorneys provide specialized training to prepare Houston-area attorneys for the representation of non-responsive or indigent respondents, training hundreds of attorneys annually to act as an ad litem (court-appointed attorney to act in a lawsuit on behalf of another party) and to fulfill the Service by Publication requirement for AVDA’s clients.
AVDA’s Community Awareness and Prevention Program (CAPP) fulfills the third pillar of AVDA’s mission statement: “fostering a community response to abuse” through its work in intervention, prevention, and awareness. AVDA reaches more than 20,000 adults and children through general community awareness, adult education, youth abuse prevention, and domestic violence advocacy training.

In 2022, AVDA served 28,180 unduplicated individuals across the City of Houston and Harris, Fort Bend, Austin, Grimes, Waller, and Washington Counties. As we look to the future, AVDA held a strategic planning session in September 2023 to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We identified specific issues to work on and will begin workgroups in January 2024 to formulate plans to address the following goals:

1. Improve AVDA's technology infrastructure.
2. Develop a plan for office expansion.
3. Develop a plan for agency expansion (staff and services).
4. Develop a plan for staff retention.
5. Develop a plan for diversifying fundraising, identifying sources, and different methods of access.
6. Strengthen AVDA's Board of Directors through succession planning, increasing fundraising skills, and increasing involvement/participation within AVDA.
7. Develop a plan for more group volunteer opportunities.