Texas Advocacy Project: Safety Through Legal Assistance

By Amanda Elkanick Oder

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this year it is even more imperative that we spotlight the effects that intimate partner violence play within our communities. We must also highlight the tangible ways to support and equip survivors across the state of Texas.

At the beginning of this pandemic, stay-at-home orders, which were meant to keep us all safe, placed vulnerable survivors in heightened danger. The Texas Advocacy Project is a statewide non-profit law firm that provides free legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, and human trafficking. As a statewide organization utilizing secure “tele-law” platforms to serve survivors, the Project was able to provide uninterrupted life-saving legal services for survivors.

When a survivor reaches out to The Project, either by filing out an application online (www.texasadvocacyproject.org) or by calling our legal line (800-374-HOPE) they will be able to speak with an attorney within 24-48 hours. We will never deny any survivor services based on their income, recency of violence, or immigration status.

According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, in 2019, 150 women were killed by their male intimate partners, 31 men were killed by their female intimate partners, and one woman and three men were killed by same-sex intimate partners.

If you know someone who is in an abusive relationship and in need of free legal assistance, please contact Texas Advocacy at 800-374-HOPE or email Amanda Elkanick Oder, VP of Advocacy and Outreach, at aelkanick@texasadvocacyproject.org.