MC grad, employee beat the odds of domestic abuse and homelessnessSeptember 01, 2021

Claudia Chavez finally owns her own home where she lives with her three children and one grandchild.

“It’s a little ‘tight’ with that many people living in a small three-bedroom house, but I am so grateful to have a place that is my own,” Chavez said.  “However, we still don’t have anything hanging on the walls.”

The reason that Chavez and her family don’t have any wall decorations is not because they just moved; it’s because after years of being the victim of domestic violence, she is still somewhat apprehensive about having things on walls that can be used as weapons.

“My ex-husband would throw pictures that were hanging on the wall at me when he went into one of his rages,” Chavez said.  “Those times were so traumatic.”

For over seven years, Chavez endured extreme physical abuse by her husband John.

“It all started when my oldest daughter Johnisha was 3,” Chavez recalled.  “He threw the television remote control at me, and I still have a scar on my forehead from where it hit.”

The assaults continued and ranged from Claudia being bound with duct tape and raped for a week to many instances of verbal and physical abuse.  John wouldn’t let Claudia see her family and friends.  He also made her stay in the house and not go anywhere.  

“I couldn’t even answer the door or empty the trash,” Chavez explained.  “Occasionally, he would let me go to the grocery store, but I had to show him the receipts when I got home, and he would time me.  If I took too long, he would go into one of his rages.”

On July 31, 2009, her husband beat her so badly that she had to stay in the hospital for several days.

“He stomped on my head with his boots,” she said.  “I managed to get to the phone.  I dialed 911 and quickly gave the dispatcher my street address before my husband grabbed the phone from me.  I didn’t have time to give my name or explain what was happening.  Fortunately, that was all it took for the paramedics and police to get there.  By that time, my husband had left, but I was beaten so badly that I was dizzy and had footprints where he had stomped on my face.  I didn’t want to go to the hospital, but the police and paramedics insisted that I needed help.  The police took my children to my sister’s house, and I went in the ambulance to the hospital.”

Chavez said that up to that time, she didn’t talk to her parents and sisters.

“I blocked everyone out,” Chavez said.  “Partly because my husband wouldn’t let me talk to them, but also because I was ashamed of how I was being treated.  My sister only lived a few blocks from us, but I never saw her.”

After Chavez was discharged from the hospital, her family rented a hotel room for her before she and her children were admitted into a women’s shelter in Midland.  

“I would have to wear big sunglasses and a scarf around my face because I didn’t want people to see how badly I had been beaten.” Chavez said.

In September 2009, Chavez and her children relocated to Bryan, TX, mainly to leave Midland so John couldn’t find them.  They lived in a women’s shelter in Bryan for a short time, and Chavez got a job which gave her enough money to rent a small home.

“I wasn’t making much salary, but we were coping,” Chavez explained.  “My children were going to school, and I was getting counseling.”

Then, one weekend, her parents drove to Bryan for a visit.  After they left, there was a knock at her door, and when Chavez answered it, there stood John.  He had followed her parents, waited for them to leave and then once again assaulted Claudia.

“I decided to move back to Midland,” Chavez said.  “I figured if John could find me in Bryan, I might as well be in Midland where I had family.”

In Midland, Chavez lived in housing assistance provided by Greater Ideal Baptist Church and Buckner Children and Family Services.  Then, her ex-husband left a note on her car in June 2012 saying that he wanted to see the children for Father’s Day.

“I was really stupid and told him that he could see the kids,” she said.  “I’m not sure why I was willing to do that.  I guess I felt badly that my children didn’t have a father figure in their lives.  It was June 17, 2012.  When John met the kids and me, he could care less about seeing his children.  He dragged me out of the car and beat me so badly that I blacked out.  That was the last time I saw him until he was finally arrested, and I appeared in court to testify at his trial.”

Even with John out of the picture, life was still rough for Claudia and her children.  

“I couldn’t find a job, so I started volunteering at Casa de Amigos,” Chavez said.  “The staff there told me about the AmeriCorps volunteer program.  The program would pay for me to go to college.”

Chavez enrolled at Midland College and in September 2012 began working at the college as a work study student.  Unfortunately, her housing benefits expired, so she and her three children had to resort to living in her car.  

“We joined the YMCA because I only had to pay $21 per month based on the wages that I was earning at the time,” Chavez said.  “We would shower there, and that’s where my kids spent most of their time when they weren’t in school.  I joined them when I wasn’t in school or working.  We ate a hot meal most evenings at Breaking Bread Kitchen.  When the YMCA was closed, we spent a lot of time at parks.  At night we parked the car behind Kelview Baptist Church and tried to sleep.”

Chavez continued her studies at Midland College and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Management.  People at Midland College took notice of her strong work ethic, and in February 2014, she was offered a part-time receptionist job in the Human Resources department.  She was then earning enough salary to rent a small apartment.  In October 2014, she was hired as the full-time Human Resources receptionist, and in 2019, she was promoted to the position of secretary to the Human Resources director. 

On November 30, 2020, Chavez acquired a house of her own through Habitat for Humanity.  

“I’m 44 years old,” she said.  “It has taken me over 20 years, but I am finally self-sufficient.  My ex-husband is in prison, and I am blessed to be alive.  I enjoy every minute of being with my children and grandchild.  We even have a trampoline and small above-the-ground pool in the backyard.  I have a great job; life is good.”

Chavez wrote the following in an email on December 16, 2020 to Midland College employees who helped her build the house:

“A formal dedication [of the house] was not done due to COVID.  I signed on my house on November 30, and a ribbon cutting took place that same day.  My appliances finally arrived, so I started to move in.  I want to thank everyone for the support, encouraging words and the prayers.  I am so blessed to have you all in my life.”

Employees at Midland College feel that they are the ones who are blessed to have Claudia in their lives.  She is known throughout campus as having a pleasant attitude.  She greets everyone with a smile and always says “Have a great day” when someone leaves her office.  No one would ever suspect that the outgoing, cheerful secretary in the Human Resources Office was once a victim of severe domestic abuse and lived in her car for over a year.