TESSA sees steady increase in domestic violence calls since April

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- TESSA, a domestic violence organization serving Teller and El Paso counties, says it's seen an increase in calls since April.

According to TESSA, in March when the first Stay-At-Home order took place, it got 'concerningly quiet.'

But when Governor Jared Polis put an order allowing those in an 'unsafe' environment to leave their homes, those calls increased. Since then, TESSA has seen a 50% increase in domestic violence calls in comparison to this time last year.

Anne Markley, CEO of TESSA believes this is mainly in part because of the stress the virus has brought to many.

The shelter has adjusted to the pandemic by adding new measures. For instance, they are no longer accepting used items as donations. As of now, they are only able to accept items on their Amazon Wish List. They have also added a Tessa Online Safe line where victims can chat online with a staff member.

TESSA's Safe Line is available 24 hours: (719) 633-3819

For more information you can head on over to their website: https://www.tessacs.org/