Empty Stocking Fund: TESSA
A woman had fled another state where her husband had beat her and threatened to kill her. In Colorado Springs, she heard about TESSA, a victim’s advocate agency. There she explained her plight to a confidential victim’s advocate, who offered her understanding and some peace of mind.
The organization also provided her with donated clothes and gas vouchers for her job hunt. She enrolled in TESSA’s free counseling service to address her trauma. She and the agency are working to get her children from foster care where they had been because of home violence.
She has family support, is gaining self-sufficiency and “reclaiming her life,” said an article on TESSA’s website, tessacs.org. Her identity was confidential.
TESSA has made similar differences in many lives. The mission is to provide help without cost to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and sex and labor trafficking.
The organization serves El Paso County and there are also victim advocates in Teller County and Calhan.
Last year TESSA helped more than 23,000 victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence.
The calls to TESSA’s 24-hour Safe Line increased to 1,200 a month compared to 800 per month in previous years. Some calls were not new cases, but involved violence where it had occurred before.
An increase in domestic violence and sexual assault cases has been seen during the pandemic. “A common tactic is to isolate one’s victim, and here health officials were asking everyone to isolate during the pandemic,” said Anne Markley, chief executive officer of TESSA.
COVID aside, the agency has seen a trend upward in such violence. Client caseload increased from 15,000 in a typical year to 23,000 in the past year.
TESSA was founded in 1977 in response to a high rate of calls to police. Then such abuse was hidden. Markley recalls a best friend in high school who had a violent boyfriend and they did not know what to do, where to find help.
Such questions are still asked today and community education is vital to TESSA’s mission.
In El Paso County, TESSA, offers the only confidential shelter, a 35-bed safe house for adults and children.
The organization’s first concern is to provide immediate safety, and then provide long-term assistance to help victims become self-sufficient. The organization helps in finding permanent safe housing, employment, child care, educational opportunities and even new identities.
TESSA assists clients in getting temporary protection orders, and Project Lift provides attorneys to help those who need permanent protection orders. A forensic nurse examiner also works with the team in the hospital setting. The only mandated reporting to law enforcement involves child abuse and elderly neglect cases
Counseling is offered. There is individual psychotherapy and therapeutic counseling, and support groups for adults and children. Participants work on such things as self- esteem and understanding healthy versus unhealthy relationships
The staff numbers 47 and there are many volunteers. They receive training in trauma-informed care, which focuses on bringing the individual along in the decision making, Markley said. The advocates obtain a complete picture of the client’s life situation, past and present, which can improve outcomes.
Empty Stocking Fund benefits 20 health and human service agencies in the Pikes Peak region who serve over 350,000 neighbors in need from birth to end of life. One donation. 20 agencies. A whole community served.
Give now at EmptyStockingFundCO.org, or call 719-476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation. Make checks payable to Empty Stocking Fund and mail to P.O. Box 910942, Denver, CO 80291-0942.