SafeHaven Interview with Mary Lee Hafley on KLUV/KVIL Radio

20. July, 2012News Item, Posts, Press ReleaseComments Off

Here is an audio clip of Executive Director of SafeHaven of Tarrant County, Mary Lee Hafley’s live interview on KLUV and KVIL radio stations about the seasonal increase in need for its services. SafeHaven typically sees an increase in shelter occupancy during the summer, but this year’s increase is the worst in its history. Hafley also addresses what exactly domestic violence is, and how the agency is helping to eradicate it one family at a time.

Kathy Jones of KVIL/KLUV Community Corner interview with SafeHaven’s Mary Lee Hafley (16:15)

Biden To Lead Push For Domestic Violence Law

18. April, 2012News Item, PostsComments Off

Vice President Joe Biden will lead a Democratic push to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 legislation that now faces opposition from some conservatives, according to msnbc.com.

Biden will be joined Wednesday by Attorney General Eric Holder, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women Lynn Rosenthal and Sharon Love, mother of Yeardley Love and founder of the One Love Foundation, to talk about the need to reauthorize the law.

The New York Times has reported that the law would expand financing for and broaden the reach of domestic violence programs.

Read the full report here.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

10. February, 2012News Item, Posts, Press ReleaseComments Off

Fort Worth, TX (February 9, 2012)  -   One in three teens experiences some form of dating abuse. And 16-24 year-old women are physically or sexually assaulted at three times the national average. Teens and 20-somethings everywhere need to hear that abuse in relationships is not acceptable at any age.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in youth relationships and offer safe strategies for community response. This month SafeHaven of Tarrant County is joining with thousands of people around this country who are working to reduce the prevalence of dating violence, collaborate to promote healthier relationships for youth, and support integrated service models such as domestic violence programs.

On February 14, letyourheartrule.com is asking schools across the country to join together and make the the Valentine’s Day announcement that love is respect and relationship violence is never okay. Visit LetYourHeartRule.org for more information and to register your school today.

For the fourth consecutive year, SafeHaven of Tarrant County and men from across the state will help spread the word that domestic violence is unacceptable at any age. The Legacy of Men Breakfast aims to engage and mobilize men to take a stand against domestic violence

This year, former Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief will be honored with the Legacy of Men Award at the event held on February 21, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth.  

Previous honorees include;

• Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboy and SCORE Foundation founder
• Mike Stone, Chairman of Fort Worth Cats Baseball Club and devoted supporter of ending violence against women and children since the late 1970s
• David Russell, VP of External Affairs at Verizon.

Tony Porter, Co-Founder of “A Call to Men” and the visionary behind the groundbreaking “NFL Dads Dedicated to Daughters” project, will provide the  keynote address.  Porter will challenge the men of Tarrant County to reassess what it means to be a real man in today’s society. He is also the author of “Well Meaning Men…Breaking Out of the Man Box-Ending Violence Against Women.”

Emmy Award-winning sports director and current host of FYI Fort Worth Scott Murray will emcee.  

Single reservations are available for $100 or host tables can be purchased for $1,000.  VIP tables are also available for $1,500. To make your reservation, contact Valerie Salter at 817-535-6462, ext. 106 or vsalter@safehaventc.org. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Reece Small at 817-535-6462, ext. 105 or rsmall@safehaventc.org.

For more information about SafeHaven, visit www.safehaventc.org .  Media interviews about this or any domestic violence issue can be scheduled by contacting SafeHaven of Tarrant County CEO and President Mary Lee Hafley at mlhafley@safehaventc.org or by calling 817.535.6462

Alarming Trend in Tarrant County Domestic Violence Murders

27. January, 2012News Item, Posts, Press ReleaseComments Off

Fort Worth, Texas – December 29, 2011 – SafeHaven of Tarrant County released a new report this month that shows an alarming disregard for human life in domestic violence homicides in Tarrant County.  The statistics compiled by Safe Haven of Tarrant County show a pattern of escalation in violence.  This trend is also happening across the state of Texas.

Although details are still emerging, the Star Telegram reported that friends of the family fatally shot in Grapevine, Texas on Christmas morning said that one of the seven victims was a woman who had left her husband and moved to a Grapevine apartment with their two children.

“The tragedy in Grapevine, unfortunately, follows the trend we have seen across Tarrant County and the state of Texas,” said Mary Lee Hafley, President & CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County. ”Where we used to see a batterer kill their partner or ex-partner, we are now seeing them kill entire families, devastating their children through the loss of both parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other caregivers.  It is a complete and total disregard for human life.”

One example of many across the state of Texas where allegations involving domestic violence escalated to incidents of murder-suicide or multiple murders of children, friends, family, law enforcement officers or others happened earlier this month when a father in Bay City, Texas near Houston opened fire on his family.  He shot his wife after she attempted to leave following allegations of domestic violence and shot and killed each of his four children ages 2, 3, 4 and 5.  The wife was seriously wounded and remains hospitalized; he committed suicide.  http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Bay-City-man-kills-his-children-then-himself-2339385.php

“Our hearts and prayers are with the families after these terrible tragedies that are happening in Tarrant County and across Texas,” said Hafley.  ”Any time family members are injured or killed in a domestic violence murder, it should remind us that domestic violence in the state of Texas is a serious problem with dangerous ramifications.”

In 2010 in Texas, 142 women died in domestic violence murders and countless children were either witnesses or victims of the murders.  A higher rate of murder-suicides occurred in Texas in 2010 compared to the previous year.  2011 continues that trend.

On Wednesday, December 14, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention orted ha(CDC) released findings from The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS).  The report confirms that 1 in 4 adult women reported having been beaten by an intimate partner.  The full report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, what should you know?

• A batterer is most likely to kill a victim when the victim attempts to leave.
• The community as a whole must ensure a safety net exists when family members need to leave an abusive home.
• Women who are considering leaving an abusive home should have a safety plan and continually adjust the safety plan according to the batterer’s behavior.
• Victims of family violence can call SafeHaven of Tarrant County at our 24 Hour Crisis Hotline 1-877-701-SAFE (7233) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
• All families deserve to be safe.
• There is help. There are excellent resources in Tarrant County and throughout Texas where families can turn to find services and shelters.

SafeHaven offers two shelters and multiple other community based services to help protect and guide victims of domestic violence and their families.

Click on this link to view the full report from the Texas Council on Family Violence on the latest statewide stats or to check the number of deaths in each county: http://www.tcfv.org/pdf/Honoring-Texas-Victims.pdf