Crime Victims Services
children's connections
Crime Victims Assistance
Are you a victim of violent crime and pregnant or parenting a child under 3 years old?
Even if you have not reported a crime against you, or the crime occurred years ago, our crime victim services are available to you!
There is never a charge for our services.
We work with Texas women who are adult survivors of violent crimes and who are pregnant or parenting a child under 3 years of age. Violent crimes include:
- Family violence,
- Assault,
- Sexual assault,
- Hate/bias crimes,
- Human trafficking,
- Victim of a person driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI/DWI),
- Surviving your partner’s death by homicide,
- Violent crimes while a child, including physical abuse, sexual abuse and/or neglect, and
- Other violent crimes.
Family violence often begins or escalates during pregnancy. Pregnant women who are battered may experience suffering in a manner that is different than other crime victims and often this is not seen by others. Women who experience trauma earlier in life are often more likely to experience trauma during pregnancy. We are knowledgeable of trauma’s impact on pregnancy and are trained to provide trauma-informed care.
Our Crime Victim Assistance program can help you with the following services:
- Advocacy for pregnant crime victims and those parenting a child under 3 years
- Crisis intervention services
- Peer support services
- Information and referral to services and resources
- Accompaniment to hospitals, law enforcement offices, prosecutors’ offices and courts
- Assistance with emergency funds for lodging, transportation, and other victim-related needs
- Follow-up support
What additional services do I receive if I’m pregnant or parenting a baby or toddler under age 3 and are an adult victim of stranger or non-stranger sexual assault?
- Support throughout your pregnancy and until your child turns 3 years of age
- Counseling to deal with feelings about your pregnancy
- Help handling the stress of parenting while you heal from sexual assault or other crimes, and
- Help exploring your options and deciding your next steps, whether it be parenting or adoption
- You may also receive all our Babies2Be Pregnancy Support program services or our Positive Choices Unplanned Crisis Pregnancy Support program services, while also receiving Crime Victims Services
If you are a victim of a crime that occurred in the past two years and you’ve filed a police report of the crime, we may also provide you with assistance to:
- An expedited application for Crime Victims Compensation funds, and
- Texas Statewide Automated Victims Notification System (SAVNS) registration