Family violence shelter continues to bring healing to victims

Abuse, sexual assault crimes no longer going unnoticed in Guadalupe County

Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) – The Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter serves more than just a temporary shelter. That’s according to Hannah Klug, the shelter’s community engagement specialist and sexual assault advocate.

Klug recently shared the details behind the shelter and all its services during a recent meeting of the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court.

“For those of you who don’t know, we are an emergency family violence shelter, but we are also a certified rape crisis center and so what that means is all of the services that we provide to family violence survivors whether they are in a shelter or non-residential clients, we also provide to survivors of sexual violence,” said Klug.

Klug’s presentation was part of the court’s observance of “National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month” which is designated each April.

Klug says the scope of their work in combating sexual assaults and being there to assist the victims has helped to grow their local response to these crimes.

“Right now, in the community, we are working on a few different sexual response teams in different counties and Guadalupe is one of those counties. We are doing some big things in that area as well as CSEY certification which is Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth. It’s a long and tedious certification process but it’s going to do a lot of good. It provides long term advocacy to youth who have been trafficked. In the fiscal year 2022, we provided 65 hospital accompaniments here in Guadalupe County and we have counseling, we have help with housing, we have help with legal advocacy. We provide accompaniment to those hospital forensic examinations as well as to law enforcement to make a police report and as well as the court if someone choose to go the legal route. However, our agency’s goal is not just necessarily to support those who take the legal route. We are here to support all survivors on any walk that they choose. Whether or not they go that legal route, we want to make sure they have that support that they need and (help those) that might include counseling. It might include crisis intervention or peer support or emergency shelter – whatever it is going to take to support the survivors that we work with,” said Klug. Healing, pg. 4

Complex, continued.

Gutierrez says the lack of adequate facilities is also keeping the district from bringing more kids into these programs. He says they want to grow those programs, but simply can’t do that right now. It also would help the district better manage the operation of these facilities on practice and game days.

“We’ve not been able to expand the programming to middle schools, and 70 percent of our students come from poverty. So many of our students do not get that exposure until they get to the ninth grade. Having a facility that could accommodate middle school would give students exposure beginning in seventh grade and in eighth grade to give them two years of skill development. By building the baseball complex at Seguin High School, it would (also) be a cost savings due to not duplicating a ticket booth, restrooms and concessions. They would be shared. We would have about a seating capacity of about 1,000 for spectators, with restrooms right there on site and concessions that would be shared,” said Gutierrez.

The new baseball and softball complex would have artificial turf on the playing surface, which also helps to save the district time and money in the long run.

“The cost of watering and maintaining the grass fields, that comes at a cost every year. A couple of years ago, we invested about $300,000 into the fields for reseeding and just ensuring that it is up to par to be able to play and practice on,” said Gutierrez.

Voters said no to this project last November. Gutierrez says they brought it back because the needs remain. He says it not only helps to finish the work that’s been done at Seguin High School, but he says it’s something that is sorely needed for our children to succeed in these programs. The updated fields would also bring the potential to host more tournaments and games in Seguin, which will also help to bring more revenue to the community.

“It would be a shared location where our current softball field exists at Seguin High School. What I shared back in November is that our ultimate goal was to complete the entire high school package. We have the new high school as part of Bond 2013. We have the new Matador Stadium as part of Bond 2019. We have the Goldie Harris facility and we have upgraded tennis courts. The last piece to that puzzle is the baseball and softball fields,” said Gutierrez.

The new baseball and softball complex would fit nicely into the existing footprint of the Seguin High School campus. He says it would solve so many issues when it comes to both programs.

“The parking is already there. It exists where the student parking is (off College Street). Of course, there is also parking along the street. But it would put it in closer proximity to the existing parking lot. In addition to that, there would be a pathway that leads to the parking that is right there by the stadium,” said Gutierrez.

There may be some people who wonder what this means for Smokey Joe Williams Field at Fairgrounds Park. The facility is owned by the city. In addition to the Matadors playing their home games there, it is also the home to the collegiate league summer team, called the Seguin River Monsters. The River Monsters are expected to continue to play games there each summer, but city officials say they would also look for other potential uses for the facility, which has a long and storied history when it comes to baseball.

Everyone involved seems to agree that it’s important to honor that past, but Dr. Gutierrez says its time for the high school to get its own field for baseball. Complex, pg. 4

Complex, continued.

“We’ve appreciated the partnership that has existed for many years between the city and Smokey Joe Field. But again, ultimately, we want to have that facility on site for our students,” said Gutierrez.

Gutierrez says it’s important that everyone understand that this is a real need, and it can be fully funded without increasing the district’s tax rate. He says the district hopes that will be another selling point for voters during this election.

“Under House Bill Three, which was passed back in 2019, all bond propositions for any school district must have the following phrase -- ‘This is a property tax increase’ on all ballot language for all bond propositions. Now in November, it was a tax increase of two cents. Back in 2019, it was a tax increase of five cents, but ultimately it was only a 2.5 cent increase because of the explosive growth that is happening. Due to this requirement, all voters will see that statement on the official ballot, regardless of the bonds (lack of) impact on the district tax rate. Homeowners, of course, the over 65 homestead exemption are not impacted by the school bond program, if no improvements are made. Of course, no taxpayers are going to be impacted by this bond,” said Gutierrez.

Voting will begin soon on the bond package. Gutierrez says they will do all that they can to make sure that they help voters make an informed decision when they head to the polls.

“Early voting begins very soon, on April the 24th through May the 6th at the following locations -- the Guadalupe County Election Office, Rodriguez Elementary, Jim Barnes Middle School, Seguin High School Performing Arts Center, and the Seguin ISD Administration Building. So there will be multiple opportunities and locations to vote in close proximity to many of our community members. On Election Day, the voting sites are at Rodriguez Elementary, Jim Barnes Middle School, Seguin High School Performing Arts Center and the Seguin ISD Administration Building,” said Gutierrez.

Election day is Saturday, May 6. Information about voting hours and polling locations can be found on the district’s website, seguinisd.net. Voters can also find complete details about the full proposal for the new baseball and softball complex at Seguin High School.

Healing, continued.

Among those joining her at the podium was Stephanie Johnson, the shelter’s sexual assault program coordinator. Johnson says it’s especially important to note how their efforts also extend to the youngest of victims.

“We work with community partners to review our response to sexual assault, to determine what works and what we can do better. We’ve been endorsed as the CSEY advocate by the children’s advocacy center that will allow us to provide support for trafficked youth whereas right now, anyone in the shelter, our services are short-term. This could be a year more where we would follow that child through the process, allow to help them with birthdays and things like that and so those are the things that we are working on right now,” said Johnson.

The shelter’s presentation was followed with the court’s applause for such efforts to prevent such crimes. and to help victims heal.

In his reading of the proclamation observing the month of April as “National Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in Guadalupe County, Commissioner Pct. 1 Greg Seidenberger reads, “Whereas, every 68 seconds another person in the United States is sexually assaulted, and in Texas 2 in 5 women and 1 in 5 men are victims of sexual assault and in fiscal year 2022, the Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter rendered 1,422 services to 370 survivors of sexual violence.”

In their quest to bring attention to this issue, county officials also ask that all citizens observe this month by “supporting the goals and ideals of victims and those working toward awareness and prevention, and by participating in community efforts.”

Among those opportunities for the public to show its support will be a Denim Day Awareness Walk in downtown Seguin. The event gets underway at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26. The event will include information and art making beginning at 3 p.m. followed by speakers at 5 p.m. and then the walk at 5:30 p.m. Live music and food trucks will also be available.