Councilmember Kamen and other Houston leaders on Monday honored Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) for 45 years of service and unveiled a Clear Channel–supported billboard campaign aimed at publicizing local hotlines and resources for survivors.

The recognition came at a city event where officials stressed the ongoing threat of family and intimate-partner violence in Houston and outlined partnerships between AVDA, the Harris County District Attorney’s office, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department to increase outreach, protective orders and prosecutions.

AVDA’s chief executive officer, Maisha Coulter, summarized the nonprofit’s services and growth since volunteers began offering legal help from a converted closet 45 years ago. “That is the impact of AVDA. That is what 45 years of safer homes looks like,” Coulter said, describing legal representation, prevention education and trauma counseling the agency provides.

The billboard campaign, led by Clear Channel Outdoor and coordinated statewide with the Texas Council on Family Violence, will place English- and Spanish-language messages on both traditional and digital signs. Lee Vela of Clear Channel said the rollout will include up to 56 digital billboards in the Houston area and will target placements where partners believe they will reach people in need.

Officials cited local statistics during the event to explain the campaign’s urgency. Councilmember Kamen said roughly one-quarter of Houston homicides are linked to family or domestic violence and that, in a recent count, 54 of 197 murders this year were attributed to domestic violence; she also noted that reported incidents of strangulation and choking numbered about 1,300 this year. “Silence and stigma around family violence is what enables this despicable and cowardly violence to continue and awareness is the antidote,” Kamen said.

Harris County law-enforcement speakers gave additional figures. Lieutenant Matthew Murphy of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said that from January through August 2025 the sheriff’s homicide unit responded to 67 murders, 23 of which he said were related to domestic violence, and that the county’s family-violence unit had reviewed 6,222 cases, referred 229 for criminal charges and logged 70 unit call-outs so far this year. Murphy said the office is seeking to add two detectives and a sergeant to expand the unit’s capacity.

A Harris County District Attorney representative described an internal reorganization and front-line work: the office elevated its domestic-violence team into a bureau with licensed social workers, victim advocates and trauma-informed prosecutors, and has been assisting survivors outside downtown to help them obtain protective orders. The DA’s office reported doing more than 850 protective orders since January.

Jessica Anderson, an executive assistant chief with the Houston Police Department speaking on behalf of Chief Noe Diaz, described HPD’s domestic-abuse response team (DART) and urged community members to help by offering safe, private ways for victims to seek help. "The most dangerous time for a victim is when they are escaping their abuser," Anderson said, outlining referrals DART makes to shelters and victim-compensation programs.

AVDA provided service figures for the agency’s recent year: 6,946 adults and children received legal representation; 26,228 adults and youth participated in education or prevention programming; and 1,043 people identified as abusive received battering-intervention and prevention (BIP) services, according to Coulter. Councilmember Carter said the city’s awareness campaign increased traffic to AVDA’s site by about 1,200% in the first 30 days after an October launch and that campaign materials include stickers, QR codes, kiosks and digital placements.

Clear Channel and the Texas Council on Family Violence said previous campaigns produced more than 85 million market impressions; the companies expect similar reach with the new rollout across Houston and other Texas cities.

No formal council votes or ordinance actions were taken at the event; the gathering was a proclamation and public awareness announcement. Officials asked media partners to publicize the campaign and the AVDA hotline at (713) 224-9911 and avda.org.

The event concluded with a city proclamation recognizing AVDA’s 45 years of service and a photo opportunity. Officials said the campaign and partnerships are ongoing and encouraged residents and media to amplify resources for survivors.