ATJ Update

Escaping the Abuse, Starting Again:  How Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse Changes Lives
By:  Texas Access to Justice Commission

Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) has been providing direct services to survivors and families who have been victims of domestic violence for more than 36 years.  AVDA has the second highest protective order filings in Harris County yet strives to provide not only legal advocacy, but help with other issues that can impact the client’s ability to navigate the legal system and thrive in life – such as emotional abuse, trauma, and financial constraints. 

Maisha Colter, AVDA’s director of legal advocacy programs, has worked with AVDA in different capacities for more than seven years. She said it’s been exciting to be a part of AVDA’s evolution and growth.

Colter reflects, “I remember the first client I ever met with AVDA.  ‘Rebecca’ needed a protective order and a divorce. Unfortunately, because of the income guidelines, Rebecca wasn’t eligible to receive legal assistance. I was disappointed I couldn’t help her. A few weeks later her sister, Sharon, called. She said she found the AVDA card among her sister’s belongings.  Rebecca had been killed by her husband, ‘Stan’.” 

While stories like Rebecca’s are heartbreaking and hard to hear, they truly magnify the importance of legal advocacy in domestic violence cases.  AVDA staff was not able to help Rebecca, but they were able to help her sister adopt Rebecca’s children.  They also helped the family through the criminal proceedings, which ultimately ended in Stan’s murder conviction.

 “Everyone on staff is aware of the sensitive situations our clients face.  The day we learned Rebecca was killed drove home the notion that some of what we do can literally be life or death,” Colter woefully recalled. 

“At any given moment, people in these types of living situations face real risks.  The situation can become volatile so quickly.”

When a client comes to AVDA for help, the staff evaluates the legal situation and takes into account all other aspects of the client’s life to see how she can gain her independence. Most survivors of domestic violence need more than just legal assistance.  They need to gain self-sufficiency so they do not have to return to the abusive living situation. 

AVDA strives to provide education for clients about their situation and resources through community organization partnerships.  Despite an abuser’s threats and attempts to control, clients need to know there are other options that can help them get relief and protection to keep them moving toward a peaceful new beginning. 

Success stories and camaraderie are what keep the staff energized and motivated.  The AVDA staff works cohesively, much like a family. They make sure to take opportunities to discuss some of the pressures they experience as they handle the day in and day out reality of AVDA clients.  They also draw strength from friends, family, spirituality, and other healthy outlets.

“The work at AVDA is fulfilling because we get to see clients who are positively impacted by the work we do.  One client is able to start his own business.  A batterer is paying child support and has stopped harassing the survivor. Another client’s children graduated from school,” shares Colter. “There is such great satisfaction in seeing clients’ relief to be free from the tyranny, to make decisions, and their confidence and ability to exercise their own independence.”