A crisis center dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence by offering shelter, counseling services and legal help currently serves Cameron and Willacy counties.

“There's a lot of fear in that we don't know what's being said behind closed doors, it takes anywhere from 7 to 12 times where a victim will finally be able to speak up or speak out for some help,” Family Crisis Center Director for Community Education Jacklyn Medrano said. “Whether they're needing to obtain protective orders, file charges, go to court, we assist them all the way, we definitely want to be that support system for them."

Since January, 56 people have gone to the Family Crisis Center for shelter. Though they saw similar numbers last year, Medrano said they’ve seen an increase in calls to their hotline.

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More than 150 people have reached out to the center through their hotline, a number that's above normal for this time of year, Medrano said. 

“We always encourage anybody who is either going through this situation, or maybe they know somebody who is going through this situation, they can always make that phone call,” Medrano said. 

As a victim’s advocate for the Willacy County's District Attorney's Office, Gloria Cortez said she’s seen a rise in domestic violence reports.

“That means people are speaking up, people are coming forward, there's more awareness out there,” Cortez said.

Cortez says many people don't look for help because they're afraid of what could happen.

“I speak from the heart,” Cortez said. “If you are victim yourself, we are here for you."

Medrano says she wants everyone to pay attention to the signs.

Those in Cameron and Willacy counties can call the 24-hour Family Crisis Center hotline at 1-866-423-9304 or go to the Family Crisis Center website for more information.