SAN ANTONIO – Rosemary Williams said you can’t go too far on the West Side of San Antonio without finding someone willing to help you.
As the executive director of Big Mama’s Safe House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping mitigate gun violence and domestic violence, she said coming to someone with a problem can be difficult.
“Growing up in a family that, you know, you just go to school, but don’t say anything. We know that the police were here last night, but don’t talk about it.’ You know, breaking that stigma,” Williams said.
Big Mama’s Safe House, along with several other community nonprofit resource organizations, met on Saturday to host a domestic violence prevention resource fair.
“We’re here to create conversations and connect. So we’re doing that today,” Williams said. “I’m excited about it. It’s going to take all of us to help.”
Williams said most domestic violence cases the nonprofit sees go unreported, and it’s important to create a long-term welcoming environment where one can eventually feel comfortable talking about a domestic violence situation. One of the best ways to do that, she said, is by working with other community partners to offer all kinds of resources.
“We just believe in making sure that people have the resources they need. So let’s say that they’re leaving a violent situation; they will not always have the items that they need,” said Eva Lopez with the Texas Diaper Bank. “You may not know where to start. And so maybe talking with one agency leads you to talk to another agency because they’ll get that word-of-mouth”.
Williams hopes that caring for her neighborhood can help break generational cycles of abuse and trauma.
“If that’s all they [kids] know, we have to teach them that there’s a better way, that there are boundaries, and that no means no and enough is enough,” Williams said. “We have to talk about it, and we want to get back to you. It takes a village, so we want to be here right here to say that help is not on the way. It’s here.”
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is a long list of resources on KSAT’s Domestic Violence page which includes a breakdown of what abuse is, and how it builds gradually.
If you are in crisis, you can:
- call or text 911
- call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233
- call the local Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the shelter (Crisis Number: 210-733-8810, Programs and Administration: 210-930-3669)
- call the Bexar County Family Justice Center at 210-631-0100.
