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Starting off 2023, our latest Peltier Subaru Supports leads us to the East Texas Crisis Center, where those in need can have a safe haven from family violence and sexual assault since 1978.
The East Texas Crisis Center (ETCC) began as a volunteer led program in the mid-70s to assist those who were victims of sexual assault. After only a few months, a need was noticed for those who suffered from family violence. According to ETCC’s Executive Director Lana Peacock, “Even to this day 75% of our work is with victims of family violence.”
Service provided that don’t require coming to stay at the shelter include counseling, classes, support groups, legal advocacy, educational programs, and help with finding resources needed to get survivors back on their feet and having their needs met.
“We have someone who actually answers the phone, we’ll talk to them and and help guide them and and even start that safety planning on the phone.”
— Lara Peacock | Executive Director
There is a 24/7 hotline available for help and advise regardless of the situation. For more information about the hotline and other numbers that may be useful, click here.
“We have 15 bedrooms, but every family is a different configuration and we have rooms that are set up for three family members. We can sleep 56 people. That does not include infants because we have little porta cribs that we can move around from room to room where needed.”
— Lara Peacock | Executive Director
More than just the shelter in Smith County, there are also outreach centers in Henderson, Van Zandt, Wood, and Rains County. Also located in Tyler, Flamingos Upscale Resale is a store providing clothing and shoes, that have been donated, for women staying at the emergency shelter. Revenue also made from the store helps to support the East Texas Crisis Center.
Currently, the East Texas Crisis Center is unable to take in survivors to their emergency shelter, due to flooding from frozen pipes right before Christmas 2022. Families that were currently in the emergency shelter were moved to other East Texas shelters. Even while the shelter is closed for repairs, the East Texas Crisis Center is still able to refer those who need a shelter to move into to other shelters located in East Texas.
Due to the flooding, a substantial amount of sheet rock and insulation have to be removed and replaced. Once the bedrooms and hallways have been repairs, textured, and painted, they will be ready for survivors to move back in and resume normal operations.
If you would like to support the East Texas Crisis Center during their rebuild time, or any time of the year, you can make a difference by volunteering and helping in many different ways. The jobs assignments available include assisting with events and fundraisers, transportation assistance, helping with children’s services, and helping man the 24/7 hotline, among many other tasks.
· Click here to see the volunteer application
Donations are also accepted, whether it is monetary or items needed from the ETCC wish list.
To learn more about how you can contact the East Texas Crisis Center, whether for questions, the hotline, or for an online chat, click here to see their contact information.
The main office in Tyler, plus the 4 outreach offices in Henderson, Van Zandt, Rains, and Wood County, are all open from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM for walk-in services.