Safe Center, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

The Safe Center is a crisis center for assisting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The funding will be used to assist with the expansion into a Child Advocacy Center. The Safe Center currently operates as a crisis Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault organization assisting women, men, and children. Over the past several years, a need has been identified in the community for a Child Advocacy Center to be created. The closest Child Advocacy Center is Norman or El Reno, which means if there is a suspected case of child abuse or neglect the child must be transported over 100 miles before receiving an interview and services to begin. This can cause even more trauma to the child and families. A child advocacy center provides a child-friendly, safe, and neutral location in which law enforcement and Child Protective Service investigators may observe forensic interviews with children who are alleged victims of crimes, and where the child and non-offending family members receive support, crisis intervention and resources.

EVIDENCE

With 881 member CACs serving 367,797 children in 2018, NCA represents a growing movement providing more and better services to children and families nationwide. In the last 10 years, the number of NCA members serving kids has grown 29%. Compared to 2008, in 2018 our members provided ? 43% more children with mental health services ? 69% more children with onsite forensic interviews ? 22% more children with medical exams/treatment ? 306% more children and family members with case management services ? 92% more children, family members, and community members with prevention education And served ? ? 90% more child victims of physical abuse ? 86% more child victims of neglect ? 155% more child witnesses to violence ? 66% more children endangered by drugs

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The Safe Center serves Stephens and Jefferson Counties in Oklahoma. With the expansion into a Child Advocacy Center, the center could potential serve surrounding counties of Cotton, Grady, Comanche and Caddo. All of the counties in the service area are rural area and do not have as many social services resources available to them. The area was hugely impacted by Covid-19. The oil and gas industry declined causing loss of many jobs, and the loss of revenue flowing through the community. Rural regions tend to have higher levels of poverty, fewer job opportunities, and heightened vulnerability to labor market shocks. Further, they broadly lack access to healthcare, now see a heightened reliance on telehealth, tend to have older and health-compromised populations, face serious barriers to enrollment in clinical trials, and have far more limited access to COVID-19 testing. (Pnas.org).

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The National Children's Alliance requires that all data through a Child Advocacy Center be tracked. Safe Center with the assistance of the Children's Advocacy's Center of Oklahoma has purchased NCAtrak, a database to track all programmatic information about the Child Advocacy Center.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma