One Safe Place Macon will be one of Georgia’s premier family justice centers to offer crime victims counseling and legal aid in a safe space.
MACON, Ga. (41NBC/WMGT) — Getting help can be difficult when you’re a victim of a crime, but it’s about to get easier for the people of central Georgia.
A new Family Justice Center is coming to Macon-Bibb County. It’s a place that empowers victims to get the help they deserve.
“From law enforcement to law enforcement to service providers, everyone comes together in one place to provide victims with everything they need in one place.”
That was the message from Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Executive Director, Jay Neal, on Wednesday National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony at Macon City Hall.
The One Safe Place Macon Family Justice Center will be one of the first of its kind in the state of Georgia.
Site coordinator for One Safe Place Macon, Sarah Schanck, says more than 15 agencies in central Georgia currently serve thousands of crime victims in the community each year. When One Safe Place Macon is established, more than 25 agencies will work with the center.
“Right now we have great services for victims of crime in our community, but they are very dispersed,” Schanck explained. “So the onus is on the victim and their family to access it, find out what they need, how to get it, maybe fill out a lot of paperwork, or even be traumatized again by telling their story over and over again.”
Schanck expects the center will dramatically reduce the rate of domestic violence homicides by making it easier for those affected by crime to get help.
This can also help victims overcome an abusive situation, heal their trauma, and be less vulnerable to future victimization.
Some victims may be reluctant to speak to law enforcement. This is where One Safe Place Macon comes in. The center will provide a space where victims feel comfortable enough to come forward.
“If you can build that trust and the victims know they are heard or believed, then you can get all of these actors to work together for the victims,” Neal said. “And victims at that point become more willing to share the stories that need to be shared for law enforcement to take place.”
Neal hopes One Safe Place Macon will become the model for other family justice centers across the state.
During the ceremony, project manager for Resilient Central GeorgiaAmanda Juarez, shared her experience of being in an abusive relationship and how a center like One Safe Place Macon may have impacted her life.
“I think it would have made a big difference for me,” Juarez said. “Having a single place where I don’t feel burdened, where I felt welcome, where I can actually do all my legal paperwork, get counseling services and parenting classes, all in one place. ”
One Safe Place Macon recently received $1.2 million from the Ministry of Justice with the help of Senator Raphael Warnock. According to Schanck, the money will be used to build the center and strengthen services for victims.
“It’s going to help our victims feel more secure, and that’s ultimately the most important thing we’re striving for,” Shanck said.
Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller ended the ceremony by proclaiming a Crime Victims’ Rights Week from April 23-29.
One Safe Place Macon is one of three family justice centers coming to Georgia. The center, which will serve Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach and Twiggs counties, is scheduled to open in 2024.
