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Safety Alert: Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. Your abuser may still be able to see what Web sites you have visited and e-mails you have sent even if you delete your browser history and files. If you are afraid your computer usage might be monitored, please use a safer computer to view this Web site. If you need to quickly leave this Web site, click the "Escape" button at any time and you will be redirected to Google.com. Please note this site is not monitored for requests for help. If you need assistance, you must call the 24-hour hotline. |
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Client Services All services provided at Hope Alliance are free and confidential. Our services include: 24-hour Crisis Hotline Hospital Accompaniments Court and Law Enforcement Accompaniments Emergency Shelter Housing Services for Children Protective Order Assistance Legal Advocacy Crime Victims' Compensation Counseling and Support Groups Community Outreach Education and Prevention 24-hour Crisis Hotline (1-800-460-7233) If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. Otherwise, our 24-hour crisis hotline is answered seven days a week, 365 days a year. The hotline is the first step in seeking help for sexual assault and domestic violence. Our hotline advocates will help you build a safety plan, prepare to leave when the time is right, find emergency shelter, give you access to intakes for counseling, arrange for a SANE exam, and provide you with referrals to other resources in the community. Our specially trained advocates are prepared to help survivors of violence and their family and friends. Our advocates maintain a strict policy of confidentiality, but if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use a nickname when you call the hotline. Under certain situations a hotline advocate may be required to break confidentiality because we are mandated by law to make a report if they believe that a child, or a person 65 years or older, or an adult with disabilities is being abused, neglected or exploited. Hospital Accompaniments If you have recently been sexually assaulted, Hope Alliance can send a certified sexual assault advocate to meet you at a local hospital for help and support. The advocate will wait with you, your family and/or friends at the hospital while medical and forensic examinations take place. They will help you understand your rights as a victim of violence and the resources that are available to you. Our advocates our compassionate and supportive and can even be in the room with you while your SANE (Sexual Assault Nurses Exam) takes place, if you choose. Please remember that if you are sexually assaulted, your first call should be to 911. Get away from your attacker, and if possible, ask a friend or family member to wait with you while you wait for the police to arrive. In order to preserve evidence, don't bathe, brush your teeth or hair, change clothes, go to the bathroom, eat or drink, or clean your wounds until after you have been examined by the SANE nurse or been given permission by law enforcement. It is your choice to report the assault to the police, but you can have a SANE exam done as a "Jane Doe" and make the decision to press charges later. Even if you decide not to report the assault, you should seek medical attention from a hospital or clinic. And it is never too late to call the Hope Alliance hotline for support. Court and Law Enforcement Accompaniments Hope Alliance advocates can also accompany you to any law enforcement interviews or criminal justice proceedings where you want the support of an advocate. This sometimes includes meetings with attorneys, trials, filing a police report, interviews with law enforcement, etc... Emergency Shelter Hope Alliance provides emergency shelter, counseling and case management at its confidential, secure shelter location. While the shelter is only open to women and children, alternative emergency shelter can be arranged for male survivors. The shelter is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Most women stay about 30 days. Food, clothing, safety planning, case management, counseling, legal advocacy, hospital and court accompaniment, tutoring, and assistance with crime victim compensation and protective orders are available throughout your stay. The shelter program has two phases. During Phase I of the program, which lasts 72 hours, the only requirement is clients complete an intake session, sign consent forms and review information about their rights as a client. This gives clients time to rest and collect their thoughts. Clients who choose to enter Phase II are required to meet with a case manager at minimum once each week. During these sessions goals are established and monitored, strengths and obstacles are explored, and possible resources are identified. Housing Hope Alliance offers two housing programs to assist its recent clients. To be considered for either program, you must go through a screening and approval process and an appropriate apartment unit must be available. Our short-term, transitional housing program helps families who are transitioning out of the shelter or in the first stages of living on their own. Our long-term, supportive housing program is ideal for families who have lived independently and maintained an income, but might be struggling with credit or rental histories as a result of their abusive relationship. The supportive housing program is available to recent clients of Hope Alliance who are screened and approved to stay in our extended-stay apartments. Both programs offer case management and support to assist families with their ability to stabilize and maintain their independence. Sliding scale and reduced rent programs are available. Services for Children All of Hope Alliances services offer special programming for children who have witnessed or been victim to abuse. Our shelter staff includes a children's counselor, play therapy and areas for play. We also offer counseling for children at our main office, outreach locations and several area schools. Protective Order Assistance A protective order legally requires an abuser to stay 500 feet away from the victim's home or workplace. It also prohibits them from stalking, assaulting, harassing and threatening the victim. It can also prohibit the offender from going near a school or daycare center that a child protected under the order attends. In order to qualify for a protective order, family violence must have happened in the past and be likely to occur again in the future. Additionally, the abuser must be a current or former spouse, blood relative, relative by marriage, a person with whom you have a child, a household member or roommate, a foster parent or child, or a person with whom you had a continuing romantic relationship. Any adult can also file for a protective order to protect a child from domestic violence. Every case is unique, so if you think you might be in need of a protective order, please call the hotline at 1-800-460-7233 to discuss your situation and resources that maybe available to you, such as help filing a protective order, having an advocate attend your protective order hearing with you, or other legal advocacy services and resources. Legal Advocacy Legal proceedings, from divorce to protective orders to custody proceedings and beyond, can often be one of the most overwhelming aspects of moving past domestic and sexual violence. Hope Alliance's highly trained legal advocates can help survivors navigate the legal system and even go with you to court. We also link clients with free and low-cost legal services to assist with paperwork and legal representation. Crime Victims' Compensation Hope Alliance advocates can also assist you with applying for Crime Victims' Compensation, or CVC, if you qualify under the program's eligibility requirements and have reported the crime to law enforcement. The CVC program can help provide you with financial assistance for crime-related expenses that cannot be reimbursed by insurance or other sources. This may provide you with assistance on expenses such as medical care, hospital stays, counseling and relocation expenses. Counseling and Support Groups Hope Alliance's counselors and support groups can be a great resource for survivors of violence to access ongoing counseling services. Services are available at our Round Rock main office and in outreach locations throughout the county. In-school counseling and play therapy are also available for children. In addition to individual sessions, our support groups provide clients with an opportunity to share their experiences with one another and know that they are not alone. Support groups have included Sexual Trauma, Adults Sexually Abused as Children, Adult Survivors of Abuse, Teen Sexual Violence Survivors, Child Survivors, Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Survivors, Parents of Sexually Abused Children, and Help End Abusive Relationship Tendencies (HEART) groups. Community Outreach Hope Alliance understands that transportation can be a barrier for many victims of violence who need shelter and support services. Because of this our intakes and counseling services are available in outreach locations throughout the greater Williamson County area. Education and Prevention Hope Alliance is a leader in community outreach, education and prevention around domestic and sexual violence and works to engage the community around these issues. Continuing education, volunteer training, trainings for law enforcement and in-school presentations provide age- and audience-appropriate information designed to further its work to eliminate abuse in the community. Trainings on violence in the workplace and implementing/meeting OSHA standards are also available for local employers. |
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Hope
Alliance 1011 Gattis School Rd #106 Round Rock, TX 78664 512-255-1212 24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-460-SAFE |