{"id":434500,"date":"2025-12-09T01:25:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T01:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/434500\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T01:25:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T01:25:19","slug":"san-antonio-women-children-facing-homelessness-are-often-escaping-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/434500\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio women, children facing homelessness are often escaping abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 Across the region, communities are working to make the holidays special for children \u2014 many of whom are facing homelessness due to domestic violence.<\/p>\n

According to Family Violence Prevention Services in Bexar County, nearly two-thirds of the domestic violence survivors they serve are children, something Brittney Ackerson also sees daily at the Corazon Ministries Day Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The center is a safe place for anyone experiencing homelessness, is on the verge of homelessness or needs a respite during the day.<\/p>\n

However, some people who stop by the center are in true danger. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the women and children that come into the day center seeking some sort of safety is because they\u2019re fleeing a domestic violence situation,\u201d Ackerman said. <\/p>\n

Ackerson is the director of the center, but she\u2019s also been on the other side. She herself is an abuse survivor who has been unhoused. When she sees those families come in, she sees pain that she knows all too well. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t feel like there\u2019s going to be a solution, and I remember being in those shoes where it\u2019s like, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I can make it out of this,\u2019\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

When asked about the kids who come in, she paused, holding back tears. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes me emotional,\u201d Ackerson said. \u201cI see a lot of broken, a lot of the children and babies that come in, they won\u2019t even look at you, they don\u2019t want to talk. … A 2-year-old will just sit there in a chair by itself and not do anything, and I\u2019m like, \u2018You should be running around like a banshee and you\u2019re not.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Most of that demeanor is because of trauma, but Ackerson also said it\u2019s partially because basic needs have to be met. <\/p>\n

When escaping abuse, families usually have to leave everything behind and run. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey have nothing. They don\u2019t have birth certificates for their children. They rarely have their IDs. These poor babies barely even have clothing on sometimes,\u201d Ackerson said. <\/p>\n

In the winter, that can be life-threatening, which is why District 9 City Councilwoman Misty Spears\u2019 office is holding a coat and jacket drive. <\/p>\n

Through Dec. 17, her office is collecting gently worn or new jackets for families at Corazon Ministries and Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the Battered Women\u2019s Shelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just really important that we pull together, bring dignity back to these people that are enduring such a difficult time,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n

Ackerson said being warm isn\u2019t just lifesaving in the moment, but long term as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re more willing to get help the more comfortable that they are,\u201d Ackerson said. \u201cSo if they\u2019re warm, then it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, now let\u2019s do something different. So keeping them warm actually saves their life where they can get help.\u201d <\/p>\n

Spears hopes caring for these kids will help break the cycle of abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo do that we have to educate, we have to show compassion so that they know what a healthy, loving relationship looks like, so they can go on to have wonderful loving relationships,\u201d Spears said. <\/p>\n

Ackerson said she already sees that happening. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of people that come back. I get Christmas cards on a regular basis,\u201d Ackerson said. \u201cThey come to see me and then they end up serving the community in the day center because it was like, \u2018You loved me through my broken, so now let me love them through theirs.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone who wants to donate coats can drop them off at two locations: <\/p>\n