Our History: A Legacy of Advocacy and Impact
Impact & History
The Family Place is one of the largest family violence service providers in Texas. In 2024, we provided services to 40,150 unduplicated individuals including 42,140 nights of emergency shelter, 20,805 nights of transitional housing, 4,480 hours of counseling, 6,970 hours of case management sessions and 6,601 hours of court-ordered psychoeducational groups for batterers. All services are provided in Spanish and English.
1976
Gerry Beer establishes the Battered Women’s Task Force and the YWCA launches a hotline and referral service. The two groups form the Dallas Violence Intervention Alliance (DVIA).
1978
DVIA opens The Family Place, the first shelter for battered women and children in Texas.
1981
The Family Place becomes a national model when the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect funds a Children’s Therapeutic Program.
1982
Our first outreach office opens to provide counseling for women living outside the shelter.
1984
We launch counseling for batterers with our Battering Intervention and Prevention Program.
1989
The Family Place Resale Shop opens to provide resources for clients and revenue for services.
1993
HUD awards funding to expand transitional housing and our Supportive Living Program is formed.
1993
The Family Place Partners launch Partners Card, our signature fundraiser, with 175 participating stores.
1995
Our Incest Recovery Program opens to provide services for adult survivors of incest.
1999
The Be Project is created to educate students on teen dating violence and sexual assault prevention.
2003
Faith and Liberty’s Place Family Center opens to provide supervised visitation and monitored exchanges.
2010
Safe Campus expands with three larger family apartments.
2013
A medical clinic opens at the Safe Campus.
2016
We open our first Men’s Shelter and a new counseling office in Collin County.
2017
Ann Moody Place opens providing additional emergency shelter, an animal kennel and a medical clinic.
2019
We open a dental clinic at Ann Moody Place staffed with volunteer hygienists and dentists.
2022
We open a new facility for our court-ordered programs—Faith and Liberty’s Place and our Battering Intervention and Prevention Program.
2024
Our Men’s Shelter moves to a new location in Irving that also provides additional transitional housing apartments.
