Simon's Recovery Outreach is hosting its 2026 Domestic Violence Awareness Fall Gala at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas – Love Field, an evening the organization describes as a celebration of hope, healing, and the resilience of domestic violence survivors. The event will include a panel discussion, survivor stories, live entertainment, dancing, and a special dance performance, alongside a table paddle fundraiser, live and silent auctions, a wine pull, and a band.
According to CultureMap Dallas, the gala takes place at the hotel's address on West Mockingbird Lane, with individual tickets running $110 to $125 and sponsorship tables priced at $1,100. Proceeds from the night support the core operations of Simon's Recovery Outreach, which include emergency temporary housing, utility and moving financial aid, apartment rental assistance, and advocacy for abuse survivors and crisis-impacted families, according to a listing from AllEvents.
The nonprofit was founded by Cynthia Simon, who built the organization around her own experience escaping domestic violence at age 24 as a mother of two young boys, an ordeal that forced her family into homelessness before she rebuilt her life, according to the organization's own account. That lived experience shaped Simon's Recovery Outreach's focus on getting survivors into stable housing quickly, rather than leaving them to navigate the system alone.
A Shelter System Stretched Thin
The gala arrives against a backdrop of strained resources across Texas. The Texas Council on Family Violence found that 59% of domestic violence survivors seeking emergency shelter in fiscal year 2023 were turned away due to a lack of available bed space, a 9% increase in denials from the previous year. That shortage helps explain why independent nonprofits offering direct housing aid have become a critical backstop when institutional shelters reach capacity.
The connection between abuse and homelessness runs deep. Research compiled by the Texas Council on Family Violence identifies domestic violence as the leading cause of homelessness among women, with roughly one in four unhoused women nationally reporting a history of intimate partner abuse before losing their housing. Statewide, Texas law enforcement agencies recorded 250,048 total family violence offenses in 2024, according to data compiled by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
There is some encouraging movement in the fatality numbers. The Texas Council on Family Violence documented 161 intimate partner fatalities across Texas in 2024, a notable decline from 205 deaths in 2023 and 215 in 2022, as reported by Texas Standard. Locally, though, the picture is more complicated: Dallas Police Department year-end crime figures showed a 30.84% year-over-year increase in reported family violence aggravated assault incidents in 2025, rising from 107 to 140 cases, per the Lake Highlands Advocate. Police noted that increased community education and outreach efforts often drive higher reporting rates rather than reflecting an actual rise in incidents.
Building Toward Long-Term Housing
Beyond the gala, Simon's Recovery Outreach has an ambitious long-term goal: acquiring 5 to 10 acres in the Dallas–Fort Worth area to build a miniature house community modeled after Seattle's Progressive Skyway Tiny House Village, offering short-term transitional housing for displaced residents. The plan reflects a broader push among North Texas service providers to find alternatives to traditional shelter beds as regional housing costs continue to climb.
Earlier in the year, the nonprofit also ran a $2-per-ticket charity car raffle from January 28 to March 15, offering a $30,000 new vehicle to fund emergency shelter and survivor support services. Together with the fall gala, the raffle points to an organization leaning on varied, community-facing fundraising to keep its emergency aid programs running year-round.
For survivors seeking legal protection rather than housing assistance, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office operates a dedicated Family Violence Division that represents victims of domestic abuse, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault in securing court-issued protective orders. That legal avenue works alongside the kind of emergency financial and housing support that groups like Simon's Recovery Outreach provide, filling different but related needs for people trying to leave dangerous situations. Organizers note that, as with any scheduled event, plans may be adjusted due to weather or other concerns.
