hope's place
Hope’s Place opened its doors on October 17, 1998 in Ashland, Kentucky as a
Children’s Advocacy Center. The Center grew out of a community child sexual
abuse task force made up of child protective services, law enforcement,
prosecution, mental health and medical communities who met regularly to define
and refine professional roles in investigations and intervention in order to
improve the system’s response to sexual abuse. Their efforts resulted in strong
working relationships with clear investigative guidelines for an intervention
system designed with the victim as its primary focus. Out of this task force a
multi-disciplinary team was formed according to KRS 431.600 and 620.020 which
mandates that all investigations of child sexual abuse be conducted by a
specialized multi-disciplinary team. Kentucky has prioritized development of
Children’s Advocacy Centers and was added to the multi-disciplinary team under
KRS 431.600. Kentucky Association of Children’s Advocacy Centers (KACAC), a
state association of Child Advocacy Centers was formed to provide regional
centers with guidance and support. Hope’s Place is a full member in good
standing in KACAC. In order to optimize services provided by Children’s Advocacy
Centers and to maximize the spread of limited resources, a regionalized approach
has been adopted for the funding and development of these agencies in the
Commonwealth of Kentucky. This planful, deliberate approach undertaken by the
Governor’s Office has allowed decisions regarding the funding of local programs
to be undertaken on a statewide plan for funding. Hope’s Place is the designated
regional advocacy center for the FIVCO district and provides a safe, client
friendly environment to victims and their families for all aspects of sexual
assault, including initial evidence collection, counseling, and court
preparation. We also serve our neighboring communities in Ohio and West
Virginia. In January 2003, a capital campaign began for the purchase and
renovation of a larger facility. In April 2003, a building located at 1100
Greenup Avenue was purchased and administration relocated. At the present,
Hope’s Place contracts with physicians and maintains 10 staff members including
counselors, advocates, and forensic interviewers. Hope’s Place facilitates the
coordination of services from multiple agencies for the common goal of victim
treatment, victim advocacy, accurate evidence collection, public education, and
prevention of sex crimes. Hope’s Place is a victim-focused Children’s Advocacy
Center that provides a safe atmosphere for the victim, lessens trauma and
promotes healing by maximizing services through a multi-disciplinary team
approach. Hope’s Place actively seeks to reduce the occurrence of sexual abuse
and heighten awareness through prevention education. Our Center provides a
victim-friendly, home-like environment, which is designed to meet the sexual
abuse victim’s need for warmth, support and protection. Hope’s Place is where
all agencies come together to meet the needs of sexually abused children by
coordinating services for the common goal of prevention, intervention and
accountability. Child sexual abuse is one of the most pervasive social problems
faced by this society. Its impact is profound because of the sheer frequency
with which it occurs and because of the trauma brought to the lives of children
who experienced this crime. Historically, however, the sexual abuse of children
was dismissed as a “family problem.” The significant impact of childhood sexual
abuse is unquestionable. This impact, however, speaks not only to the individual
child victim of the crime, but also to the mental health community. There is no
longer a question of whether child sexual abuse is a criminal justice problem or
a social services problem or a mental health problem, for its power pervades the
territory of each. The question must now lie in the resolve of all professionals
to overcome skepticism with acknowledgment, disbelief with understanding,
indifference with indigence, and reluctance to intervene with an unwavering
intolerance of the victimization of all children.
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