The Safe Center, located in Bethpage, NY, announced it recently received a gift in the amount of more than $12,000 from the Hope East Church, located in Manhasset, NY, to support activities at the Safe Center’s Child Advocacy Center.
The funds will go toward set up and equipment fees for a second forensic interview observation and recording room for the Child Advocacy Center that will increase efficiency, decrease wait times and allow The Safe Center to serve more families.
“When allegations of child abuse are made, our goal is to interview everyone involved as quickly as possible to ensure that all children and their family members are safe,” said Debra Lyons, Associate Executive Director of The Safe Center. “Expanding our service capacity by creating a second observation and recording room will help us meet our goal of keeping all children and families safe.”
The Safe Center’s Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is a partnership between Nassau County Police, Child Protective Services, District Attorney’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Nassau County Probation, NYU Langone Long Island, and The Safe Center LI. These co-located partners form the Nassau County Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and collaborate to investigate, prosecute, and support almost 1000 allegations of child abuse annually. The CAC is designed and decorated to provide a safe, child-friendly environment to help alleged child victims feel safe to discuss their alleged abuse, and for child victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse to receive support and services to help them heal.
“We are proud to support The Safe Center in their mission to protect children who have been abused,” said David Jung, Senior Pastor, Hope East Church. “Our congregation has once again risen to the challenge of making a true difference in our community and across Nassau County.”
About The Safe Center:
The Safe Center, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading victim service organization in Nassau County, providing comprehensive and trauma-informed services for victims of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, child sexual and severe physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder abuse. In 2014, The Safe Center was created by the merger of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (founded in 1978) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (founded in 1979). This merger created a highly integrated service model to empower victims of interpersonal violence to recover from their abuse. The Safe Center operates a 24-hour Hotline (516-542-0404) providing crisis intervention, access to services, and information and support.
—Submitted by The Safe Center LI
