More domestic violence victims seeking help during summer months

SAN ANTONIO - Counselors for The Bexar County Family Justice Center said the organization sees an increase of victims looking for help during the summer, but no matter the need they will never turn anyone away.

“The women all have different stories and different experiences and they all have been hurt by someone they trusted,” said Dolores Villanueva, a counselor at the Family Justice Center.

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Villanueva said more than 30 women came to a weekly support group meeting, which is more than the Family Justice Center gets in cooler months.

"Something about the summer months we do tend to have larger group sizes," Villanueva said.

The group therapy is a free service to help women escape the cycle violence.

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"They like hearing other people’s stories they like connecting and when we connect we can generate solutions together," Villanueva said.

The Family Justice Center provides free resources to help victims of domestic violence, but Villanueva said the hardest part is getting victims to take the first step and report abuse to the police.

The center has been around since 2005 and helps around 4,000 victims each year, and on average, services more than 70 victims in crisis a week.

If you'd like to know more about the services the Family Justice Center provides, call (210) 631-0100.