A significant new service for domestic violence victims was recognized Monday afternoon as Promise Place celebrated the opening of its emergency shelter in an event at the Fayette County Justice Center.

The shelter, which is at an undisclosed location, can house up to 15 people including women and their children. It is designed for stays between 30 and 60 days, and Promise Place not only puts a roof over families’ heads, but they also provide a host of services for them including job skill assistance, childcare and sometimes help even finding a vehicle, said Promise Place executive director Sonja Strickland.

The shelter was in large part possible due to a decision from state officials to dedicate funding in this year’s budget, Strickland said, noting that Rep. Virgil Fludd, D-Tyrone, was instrumental in the process along with other Fayette legislators.

“So when police call in the middle of the night about a victim and says they need a safe place to go to, they can come to us,” Strickland said.

The facility is staffed 24 hours a day, as required, and received $180,000 in funding from the state this year for operations, Strickland said. The facility was dramatically renovated by volunteers including those from the Leadership Fayette program of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and by Square Foot Ministry. Several churches participated significantly including Peachtree City United Methodist Church and Fayetteville United Methodist.

The shelter, which is in an undisclosed location for safety reasons, also has a top-notch security system that was funded by a grant from Coweta-Fayette EMC, Strickland noted.

“When you think about an outpouring from the community, we definitely had it,” Strickland said.

Promise Place is a non-profit agency that provides services for victims of family violence in the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Fayette, Spading, Pike and Upon counties. Last year, the lion’s share of its clients came from Fayette County, with more than 500 of the agency’s 700-plus clients living in Fayette.

District Attorney Scott Ballard said the facility will help families that are in trouble, as his office has a prosecutor assigned to the entire circuit that specializes in family violence cases. “It’s really a shame” that it took so long to get a shelter, he added, as Strickland explained that Fayette’s previous efforts to establish a shelter had been rebuffed.

Superior Court Judge Johnnie L. Caldwell Jr., who previously served as DA, noted that years ago Georgia didn’t have the strong laws it has now that including the provision for temporary protective orders to help shield victims from harm. Caldwell also said he was pleased because the shelter would help victims from all over the judicial circuit who need assistance.

Caldwell added that in the process of signing temporary protective orders, he occasionally comes across male victims of domestic violence.

login to post comments