Pexels Safe Connections opened one of the first texting hotlines in early March for people experiencing domestic abuse. St. Louisans experiencing domestic abuse can now text a local hotline for help. The new text line is part of a push by the nonprofit Safe Connections to make services more accessible to victims of abuse during the coronavirus pandemic. When the pandemic first hit, calls to Safe Connections’ crisis hotline decreased 23% — but not because domestic abuse stopped, said Jaszmine Parks, who manages the hotline. The drop was most likely because people were ordered to stay home and had less time apart from their abusers, Parks said.