Bexar County Family Justice Center

08/07/2026

Note: Graphic created with use of AI.

Understanding High-Risk Domestic Violence

Part 2 of 3: IDENTIFICATION: The early steps the BCFJC takes to identify evidence-based risk

Every survivor of intimate partner violence who seeks services at the BCFJC begins in Central Intake, where professionals assess immediate needs and connect survivors with our collaborative network of services.

Services available at the Center include crisis intervention, safety planning, protective order assistance, adult counseling, child therapy, police reporting and criminal case assistance, victim advocacy, childcare during appointments, social work, emergency food assistance, financial empowerment education, and other resources that help survivors achieve safety, stability, and long-term independence.

As part of the Central Intake process, eligible survivors complete two evidence-based screening tools:

• Danger Assessment, developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, helps identify risk factors associated with intimate partner homicide.

• Strangulation Assessment, developed by the Alliance for HOPE International’s Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, helps identify survivors at significantly higher risk. Also, many survivors do not realize that strangulation can be life-threatening even when there are no visible injuries.

These assessments are not intended to predict what will happen in the future. Rather, they help professionals recognize evidence-based risk factors that research has shown are linked to an increased risk of serious injury or homicide so intervention can begin as early as possible.

At the BCFJC, when these assessments indicate a survivor may be at high risk, the case receives specialized review and, when appropriate, additional intervention through our onsite Domestic Violence High-Risk (DVHR) Coordinator Program.

The BCFJC’s DVHR Coordinator Program was launched in 2020 thanks to support from the Texas Council on Family Violence. The program was established through a collaborative effort involving the BCFJC Foundation, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Leadership, and Metro Health. The initiative helped support the Community Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence’s (CCDV) initial five-year strategic plan, helping improve our response to high-risk survivors.

During the COVID pandemic, the BCFJC expanded its services to virtual access, resulting in an approximately 40% increase in individuals seeking assistance. As more high-risk survivors reached out for help, the need for specialized intervention grew. Recognizing both the demand and the program’s success, Bexar County Commissioners Court expanded the BCFJC DVHR Coordinator program from one to three, allowing more survivors to receive specialized, ongoing support.

Six years later, the rise in client volume first experienced in 2020 has now become the new standard. In part 3, we’ll share what happens after a survivor is identified as high risk at the BCFJC and how our three specialized DVHR Coordinators work alongside survivors to help prevent future violence.

If you believe you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. To learn more about the services available through the Bexar County Family Justice Center, call (210) 631-0100 or visit www.bcfjc.org.

08/06/2026

Note: Graphic created with use of AI.

UNDERSTANDING HIGH-RISK DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

PART 1 of 3: AWARENESS: Some warnings may not be readily apparent.

There is no single path to lethal violence. In some abusive relationships, physical violence escalates over time. In others, homicide is the first act of physical violence. What often exists beforehand, however, are evidence-based warning signs - also known as danger or risk factors - that may go unrecognized by the survivor or those around them.

In other situations, even when abuse has escalated, survivors may genuinely believe their partner is not capable of killing them. That is why recognizing these warning signs - and having professionals who know how to assess them - is so important.

In part 2, we’ll explain how the BCFJC identifies survivors who may be at the greatest risk of serious injury or homicide and why that assessment can make a difference.

The Family Justice Center model brings together prosecutors, law enforcement, civil legal services, counselors, victim advocates, and community organizations in one safe, welcoming location. By working side by side, we reduce barriers, strengthen collaboration, and help survivors access the support they need with dignity, compassion, and hope.

If you believe you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. To learn more about the services available through the Bexar County Family Justice Center, call (210) 631-0100 or visit www.bcfjc.org.

07/23/2026

Some honors leave you speechless. Some touch you to your core. This one does both.

We are deeply honored to receive the San Antonio Bar Foundation 2026 Peacemaker Award.

Thank you to the San Antonio Bar Foundation and the San Antonio Bar Association for this extraordinary honor and for recognizing our work.

The strength of the Family Justice Center has always been the people and partner organizations who choose to work together under one roof, helping survivors find safety, healing, and hope through coordinated care.

To our staff, on-site partner agencies, Foundation Board members, interns, volunteers, and supporters—thank you for making this work possible. We are grateful to be part of this extraordinary community. 💜

Congratulations to the Bexar County Family Justice Center on receiving the San Antonio Bar Foundation Peacemaker Award. This award recognizes the Bexar County Family Justice Center's commitment to fostering safety, providing vital resources and supporting individuals and families throughout the community.

07/09/2026

Looking for a fun way to give back? Join us at Chicken N Pickle on Tuesday, July 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for our Profit Share Night!

Come enjoy great food, friendly competition, and a welcoming atmosphere while supporting the Bexar County Family Justice Center. Every visit helps us continue providing hope, healing, and vital services to survivors of domestic violence and their families.

A special thank you to the incredible team at Chicken N Pickle for their generosity, community spirit, and commitment to making a difference. We are grateful for partners like you who help strengthen our community.

Bring your family, invite your friends, and make it a night to remember. We cannot wait to see you there! 💜

07/08/2026

💜 Celebrating 5 Years of Project BRAVE and Building Brighter Futures! 💜

This summer marks the 5th year of the Bexar County Family Justice Center’s Project BRAVE Summer Series - a youth violence prevention initiative created for children receiving services at the Family Justice Center or whose parent is receiving services.

Project BRAVE features three signature summer experiences that begin with our Summer Day Camp at The DoSuem and continue with activities that encourage children to learn, grow, build healthy friendships, and enjoy being kids in a safe, supportive environment.

Through hands-on activities, games, and creative projects, children develop skills that promote healthy relationships, strong families, and safe communities. Along the way, they explore the values of kindness, courage, empathy, inclusion, self-awareness, and community - while creating lasting memories and growing in confidence.

One of our favorite traditions at the summer camp is creating a colorful handprint that symbolizes the heart of Project BRAVE and reminds us that … Every hand tells a story. Every child matters.

Programs like Project BRAVE are made possible through the generosity of our community. Funds raised by the BCFJC Foundation support youth violence prevention initiatives, such as the Summer Series, which provides children with opportunities to develop lifelong skills that strengthen families and help break the cycle of violence.

Together, we are investing in brighter futures - one child, one family, and one community at a time.

💜 Thank you to our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners for making Project BRAVE possible.

07/07/2026

We had a wonderful time celebrating together at our mid-year Fourth of July backyard potluck featuring fried chicken and peach cobbler! 🇺🇸☀️

It was a feast and we truly appreciate all the staff and partners who went out of their way to help make it such a special meal.

It gave us an opportunity to recognize so many special moments—from celebrating staff birthdays to officially welcoming the newest members of our Family Justice Center team, including our new staff and interns. We are excited to have each of them with us and look forward to the contributions they’ll make to our mission.

We also took time to wish one of our own, Rachel, all the best as she begins her next rotation as a misdemeanor trial prosecutor. While we’ll certainly miss having her in our Protective Order Division, we know she will do an outstanding job in her new assignment, and we can’t wait to see all she accomplishes.

We’re grateful for a team that works hard every day to serve survivors and for opportunities like these to pause, celebrate one another, and enjoy a little fellowship. ❤️🤍💙

07/02/2026

The Bexar County Family Justice Center will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, in observance of the Bexar County 4th of July holiday.

We will resume normal business hours on Monday, July 6th.

We wish everyone a safe and meaningful holiday as we celebrate our nation’s independence and the shared values of freedom and community. 💜🎆

06/24/2026

We were honored to welcome the San Antonio Council of International Visitors (SACIV) and a delegation of professionals from Kyiv, Ukraine, to the Bexar County Family Justice Center through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

The delegation—leaders in child protection, legal advocacy, and social services—visited the Family Justice Center and with Director Crystal Chandler to learn how our Family Justice Center model brings government agencies and nonprofit organizations together under one roof to provide coordinated, trauma-informed services for survivors and their children. Through a presentation, engaging discussion, and tour of the Center, we exchanged ideas about multidisciplinary collaboration and the power of coordinated services to strengthen safety, healing, and hope.

Knowing the extraordinary challenges these professionals face while working to protect children and victims of violence—including children displaced from and living in occupied areas of Ukraine—made this visit especially meaningful. Their resilience and unwavering commitment to serving others were both inspiring and humbling.

Thank you to SACIV for making this meaningful international exchange possible.

06/18/2026

The Bexar County Family Justice Center will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of the Bexar County Juneteenth holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, June 22.

We join our community in commemorating Juneteenth and honoring the enduring values of freedom, equality, and justice.💜

06/08/2026

Behind every strong nonprofit is a dedicated group of leaders helping guide its mission forward.

The Bexar County Family Justice Center Foundation Board of Directors recently held another productive Board meeting. Highlights included the presentation of the Foundation’s 2025 financial audit by CPA Erin Leece and a review of the IRS Form 990 by Bookkeeper Robert Paz—important steps that help ensure transparency, accountability, and strong stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.

Representing a wide range of professions and expertise, our Board members generously share their time, talents, and resources to strengthen services for survivors and support the long-term success of our mission.

Their commitment to helping survivors find safety, hope, healing, and justice is truly inspiring. We are deeply grateful for their leadership, partnership, and unwavering dedication to the families we serve throughout Bexar County. 💜

The photos include Board members and FJC leadership staff who attended in person. Additional Board members participated virtually and are not pictured.