loading…
loading…
loading…
(a) The commission shall contract only with public or private nonprofit organizations that fulfill the requirements of this chapter.
(b) The contracts shall require the persons operating a family violence center to:
(1) make a quarterly and an annual financial report on a form prescribed by the commission;
(2) cooperate with inspections the commission makes to ensure services standards and fiscal responsibility; and
(3) provide, as its primary purpose, voluntary and trauma-informed services to victims of family violence that include:
(A) 24-hour-a-day shelter, except that a family violence nonresidential center may provide access to a 24-hour-a-day shelter;
(B) a 24-hour-a-day crisis hotline, except that a family violence nonresidential center may provide access to a 24-hour-a-day crisis hotline operated by another organization located in the nonresidential center's service area;
(C) access to emergency medical care;
(D) crisis and intervention services, including understanding and support, information, education, referrals, and other resource assistance;
(E) access to emergency transportation;
(F) advocacy focused on:
(ii) physical, behavioral, and mental health;
(iii) the needs of children who are victims and the children of victims; and
(iv) the civil and criminal legal systems, including:
(a) identifying individual needs, legal rights, and legal options; and
(b) providing support and accompaniment in pursuing those options;
(G) ongoing safety planning services in collaboration with the self-stated priorities and needs of the victim of family violence;
(H) community education regarding family violence and family violence prevention efforts;
(I) counseling services; and
(J) peer support services led by victims of family violence, including activities and other efforts that facilitate connections and the creation of community among victims of family violence.
(b-1) The contracts shall:
(1) specify that participation in services by a victim of family violence is voluntary; and
(2) prohibit the persons operating a family violence center from requiring a victim of family violence to participate in other services as a condition of receiving shelter.
(c) The contracts may require the persons operating a family violence center to use intake and case study forms. Forms required shall be developed by the commission with consultation as outlined in Section 51.008 . Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3313, ch. 867, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1981. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 636, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 6, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219 ), Sec. 4.293, eff. April 2, 2015. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 164 (S.B. 1841 ), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2024.