Safer Path Family Violence Shelter

At Safer Path Family Violence Shelter our mission is to bring awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault by empowering victims, supporting survivors healing, and creating a safe and abuse free community. All of our services are free to men women and children if they are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, and teen dating violence. Safer Path Family Violence Shelter has been serving the community with compassion and resilience since its founding in 1992. Originally known as the Atascosa Family Crisis Center, we evolved to meet the needs of survivors and their families in a changing world. In 2019, we officially transitioned to Safer Path Family Violence Shelter, opening our doors to a dedicated shelter facility in Pleasanton, Texas.

Opening our shelter was made possible by a successful capital campaign — a testament to the community’s commitment to providing safety and healing. As part of this effort, we launched the Begin Again Thrift Store in 2018, creating a sustainable source of funding for our shelter while providing affordable goods to our community and a place our clients can shop for free..

Our growth has never stopped. We expanded our services to include educational programs like RISE (Resources and Information for Survivor Empowerment) — a one-time class designed to help the non-offending party understand the dynamics of domestic violence and learn about the resources available to them before the courts consider dropping charges. We also introduced the ADVANCE class, a CPS-referred parenting class, and BIPP (Batterers Intervention Prevention Program), a 24-week course for offenders to take accountability and unlearn harmful behaviors.

Understanding that healing isn’t just for people, we opened Safer Paws at our shelter — a safe haven for survivors’ beloved pets fleeing violence alongside their families. We also recognized the importance of prevention and began teaching the Safe Dates curriculum in local schools, helping to empower the next generation with healthy relationship skills.

Beyond shelter, Safer Path offers comprehensive advocacy services, including legal accompaniment, medical accompaniment, counseling, support groups, and more. Our holistic approach ensures that survivors have access to the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

Today, we face a critical challenge: capacity. Over the past year, we’ve had to refer out more than 200 survivors because we simply didn’t have enough space. Our vision is to expand our shelter to double our current capacity so that no survivor has to be turned away in their time of need.

At Safer Path, we pride ourselves on evolving alongside the needs of our community and the survivors we serve. With your support, we can continue to provide safety, hope, and a path forward — for every survivor who bravely reaches out for help.