The Picture of Texas

A family violence hotline often represents the first connection a survivor will have with services. While most Texas family violence programs have hotlines that are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there are a few gaps in accessibility that are consistent across the state. Encountering language barriers or staff that are unsure of service availability can add to barriers from underrepresented groups who find it challenging to make that initial call for support and assistance. While the majority of agencies have service availability for Spanish speaking survivors, sex trafficking survivors, LGBTQ survivors, survivors with CPS involvement, and survivors with disabilities, inconsistencies were noted for survivors who speak a language other than English or Spanish, labor trafficking survivors, transgender survivors, and male survivors. It makes the situation increasingly more difficult when an individual tries to speak to an advocate who does not speak the survivor’s language or feels as if the agency is unable to serve the survivor based on other factors. A large minority of programs surveyed (45%) use some kind of criteria of violence severity or need when assessing a survivor’s eligibility for services, including shelter. Although this assessment is used to help communities facing a critical demand for services in meeting the needs of those survivors with high safety needs, it also effectively screens certain survivors out of services if they do not meet the criteria set or if they do not feel comfortable providing the necessary information to meet the severity threshold.

If hotline staff are unable to communicate via the phone with the survivor, they typically called a language line or the National Domestic Violence Hotline to access language translation services. Sometimes this meant taking the survivor’s number and calling them back at another time when translation services were available. Others discussed using online tools in a variety of languages to minimally communicate over the phone. Some hotline staff reported using Google translate or local interpreter services. With these actions being taken, it was unclear how long it would take for a survivor who spoke a language other than English or Spanish to reasonably access services.

The person who answers a hotline call is a survivor’s entry point to services so it is important that they are clear on service availability and can relay that information clearly to a survivor who contacts them. Some of the tactics that family violence programs have utilized to increase accessibility should be considered by all programs throughout the state. Those include a language line, the National Domestic Violence Hotline language translation services, and other interpreter services. Additionally, ensuring that all program staff who will be answering the phone are clear on how to assist a survivor who does not speak English, as well as the ability to share the services available to any survivor who calls regardless of their background and demographic information.

Another potentially effective way to promote services and expand accessibility to services, particularly for younger survivors, is to utilize technology, such as text messaging, phone apps, and social media. Maintaining social media accounts, responding to survivors via chat or text and providing other means for survivors to connect with family violence programs allows survivors who may have trouble calling a hotline number other options.