A San Antonio woman says the moment that finally freed her from three years of abuse was a single phone call to the city's Metro Health department. Eighteen months later, she has bought a house, earned a promotion at work, and watched her children settle into stable, thriving lives.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, said her path out began with that one call, according to KSAT. She credited a case manager with pushing her to accept help she initially resisted. “I don't like to ask anybody for anything. I had a really good case manager here that didn't let me not ask,” she said, per the same report.
Accepting that help did not come easily, she said, but the payoff reshaped her family's trajectory. “I bought a house. I got promoted at work. My kids are thriving,” she said. She now urges other survivors of domestic violence to leave and reclaim their lives, the station reported.
Metro Health's Year-Round Role in Survivor Support
Morjoriee White, with Metro Health, said the department works alongside local organizations throughout the year to connect survivors and their families with resources. “We work year-round to provide crisis advocacy as well as case management,” White said, per KSAT's reporting.
Since 2023, San Antonio police have completed roughly 31,000 domestic violence danger assessments, with about 11,000 of those flagged as high risk, the station's report noted. That volume of flagged cases underscores why advocates keep steering survivors toward help lines and case managers rather than letting them navigate crises alone.
A separate KSAT story published earlier this month described another San Antonio survivor, identified only as Ariel, who said she stayed in an abusive relationship for four years before calling 911. She said San Antonio police and Metro Health responded with support that went beyond the immediate crisis, connecting her to resources including help finding a safe place to stay. Since October 2020, Metro Health has handled every domestic violence case that San Antonio police respond to, according to News 4 San Antonio.
The Broader Toll Across Bexar County
The personal victories described by these survivors sit against a sobering backdrop. A report by the city-county Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence documented 28 family violence-related deaths in Bexar County in 2025, according to TPR. Of those, 16 died in incidents involving intimate partner violence, including three bystanders, and more than half of all the deaths involved firearms, per the same report.
That 2025 total marked a decline from 32 deaths in 2024, and both years remained below a recent peak of 36 deaths in 2020, according to the San Antonio Report. Even as deaths eased, calls for help did not: San Antonio police and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office responded to a combined 58,446 family violence-related calls last year, the outlet reported.
Other indicators pointed to more survivors reaching out. Domestic violence-related connections to United Way's 211 helpline jumped nearly 86%, from 1,027 in 2024 to 1,907 in 2025, per the San Antonio Report. Nearly 42% of roughly 1,300 children assessed by Bexar County's local mental health authority in 2025 reported witnessing family violence, the outlet noted, and more than 1,600 people received emergency shelter or temporary lodging during the year, according to TPR.
The two outlets also described rising use of QR codes posted in public restrooms that direct people to domestic violence resources, though they characterized the figures differently. TPR reported that 13,500 people used the QR code to ask for help, while the San Antonio Report described 13,500 visits to a related resource webpage, up from 10,045 the year before.
Where Survivors Can Turn for Help
Anyone in immediate danger is urged to call 911. Survivors in unincorporated Bexar County who are not facing a current emergency can reach STAR specialists through an online form, per KSAT's resource guide. Family Violence Prevention Services operates a 24-hour crisis line at 210-733-8810 and provides wrap-around services including its battered women and children's shelter, according to Family Violence Prevention Services.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 800-799-SAFE, and the Bexar County Family Justice Center, which also offers wrap-around services, can be reached at 210-631-0100. For the San Antonio woman at the center of this story, that first outreach to Metro Health marked the turning point — one she now hopes other survivors will find the courage to make for themselves.
