1984
HPD’s policies were changed to reflect the law and offer more protection for domestic violence victims. The next step was to actually prosecute these cases. With support and cooperation from John B. Holmes, Harris County District Attorney, a demonstration project was developed. Volunteers from the Legal Advocacy Project and the League of Women Voters interviewed domestic violence complainants in the District Attorney’s Community Intake Office Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. They recommended charges to the Assistant District Attorney, screened applicants for protective orders, provided crisis counseling and information and referral, and assisted complainants throughout the criminal justice process. This pilot project evolved into the Family Criminal Law Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

As a result of the changes in police procedures in Houston, more men were being arrested for domestic violence and mandated into counseling. At the same time, battered women were requesting assistance for their partners, because they wanted the violence to end, not the relationship. However, specialized services for domestic violence perpetrators were not available. In response to this need and with the philosophy that services for abusers should be provided by an agency whose primary goal is the safety and self-determination of battered women, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse contracted with Toby Myers, Ed.D, to provide a psycho-educational counseling group for men who are abusive in their intimate relationships. Dr. Myers was already providing individual counseling to a few men who had voluntarily sought help through her private practice, the PIVOT Group. In an effort to minimize overhead costs and distinguish between her private practice and the services being provided for Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, these services became known as the PIVOT Project.

The Legal Advocacy Project received a small grant from Gulf Coast Legal Foundation through its Private Attorney Involvement program to fund a paralegal and to continue the contract with the attorney. The Legal Advocacy Project has consistently received funding from Gulf Coast Legal foundation to provide legal services for victims of domestic abuse since that time.

1986
The Legal Advocacy Project received funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and program staff expanded to include a full-time Client Advocate. VOCA has consistently funded this position since 1986.

1989
The legislature created funding for battering intervention and prevention programs through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Community Justice Assistance Division (TDCJ-CJAD). The board of directors for Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse voted to make the PIVOT Project a program of the agency and applied for funding. With a grant award effective in 1990, PIVOT was able to expand services to five groups per week.

1991
The agency expanded its battering intervention services and began offering groups in outlying communities. By the end of 1992, the PIVOT Project was providing services in Pasadena, Katy, Rosenberg, Texas City, Baytown, Webster, Northwest Houston, Conroe and Bay City.

1993
Due to an increase in funding provided by Gulf Coast Legal Foundation, the Legal Advocacy Project expanded to include two additional contract attorneys, a second paralegal and a legal secretary. This expansion made protective orders and divorces accessible to even more battered women in Harris County.

Rhonda Gerson, Executive Director, was appointed by Supreme Court Justice Tom Phillips as a member of the Texas team to attend the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Conference on confronting violence in the family.

1995
Agency staff led statewide efforts to develop guidelines for battering intervention programs. These guidelines were adopted by the TDCJ-CJAD and implemented to establish a minimum level of responsibility for service providers. The guidelines also serve as a basis for monitoring and evaluating batterers’ programs.

The PIVOT Project was selected as one of four sites to participate in a national research project to evaluate the effectiveness of batterers’ programs. The project was funded by the Center for Disease Control and conducted by principal investigator Edward Gondolf of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This longitudinal study continues to track the men who participated in the program in 1995.

1996
AVDA recognized that a coordinated community effort was needed to respond to domestic violence. Agency staff worked diligently with private and public agencies within the community. These efforts resulted in the creation of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

1997
After conducting several strategic planning sessions, the Board of Directors decided to expand the agency’s education and outreach efforts. The agency hired a Community Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator who began developing the Community Outreach Program. This new development in the agency’s history was made possible by a generous three-year grant from the Houston Endowment and a grant from the Swalm Foundation.

1998
After eighteen years of providing direct services solely to victims of domestic violence, the Legal Advocacy Project was eligible to apply for funding from the Department of Human Services (DHS) for the first time. Shelters have been able to receive funding from DHS since the early eighties. However, these funds were never available to nonresidential programs, like the Legal Advocacy Project, that were not part of a shelter. By the end of year, the agency was able to hire an Executive Assistant, a Case Manager, a much needed second Client Advocate, and contract with a fourth attorney. This expansion allowed the Legal Advocacy Project to work more closely with battered women’s programs by having a Client Advocate visit their facilities on a regular basis to provide legal advocacy services onsite to their clients.

The Community Outreach Program offered its first training series on domestic violence for volunteers, interns, new employees and professionals from the community. The series, offered twice each year, includes sessions on the dynamics of domestic violence, the legal system, battering intervention, advocacy, and community coordination.

1999
The PIVOT Project began providing services in Waller County in space generously provided by the Waller County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. This expansion was the result of a community organizing campaign initiated the previous summer by the Waller County District Attorney’s Office and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse. Together, we formed a committee of community leaders and domestic violence activists who planned and presented four meetings and one workshop to educate the community about domestic violence issues and to assess for needed services. This planning committee developed into the Waller County Domestic Violence Community Response Team, which is working to develop and improve victim services in the county.

The Legal Advocacy Project hired a full-time advocate to work on-site at the PIVOT Project with the partners of the men receiving battering intervention services. Throughout and after the man’s participation in the program, the advocate is available to talk with the partner about the program, safety issues, community resources and other concerns. The advocate also conducts weekly educational groups that provide the partners with more in-depth information about program content, domestic violence, and the options and resources available to battered women. 

2005

AVDA celebrates 25 years of community service, helping to break the cycle of family violence in the Greater Houston area through two program areas, its Legal Advocacy Services, and AVDA's Battering Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP).  8,000 men have participated in BIPP since its inception, and the Legal Advocacy Program provided  pro bono legal services to some 2,789 victim-survivors of family violence in 2004 alone.  BIPP operates 13 area-wide weekly group sessions for men and women (seen separately) who have been abusive in their family or intimate relationships.