Ben Williamson – WTOC – In 2015, the city of Savannah doubled in domestic homicides. Several of those were murder suicides.
Safe Shelter has been over-capacity for months, trying to help as many women and families as they can. Just this week, we saw a domestic-related argument end in a deputy being shot.
On Friday, the first steps were taken in a new effort to help those who are abused. It’s called a Family Justice Center. They have been successful in other cities such as San Diego – and even in Athens. Basically, it’s a one stop shop for women, the elderly, and families that are abused.
The center will house shelters, counselors, prosecutors, police, and family services. That way, when someone comes for help, they have everything they need without being directed five different ways.
“The hope is that we can put them all into one central location. We are hoping that we can put it on a bus route so we can help those that do not have transportation,” said District Attorney, Meg Heap.
Friday morning, the county commission approved the application for a federal grant that will help pay for the project, as well as hire someone to be in charge of the center.
Heap says resources already in place, like Safe Shelter, the Rape Crisis Center, and the Children Advocacy Center, will all work in conjunction with this new center.
“Prosecutors and special victims have been talking about this for a while. San Diego has a huge Family Justice Center, and so we are reaching out to them. No need to re-invent the wheel; ‘how did you do it, what do you need, what steps do you take to get there. When we found this federal grant, we were really excited,” Heap said.
Heap says once they get the grant, they will meet with the city and the county to see if they can provide an old building or facility to use. Heap also says Chief Lumpkin is going to be a big support, because there is a very successful Family Justice Center in Athens that he worked with before he came to Savannah.
To view original article click here: Family Justice Center in the Works for Chatham Co.