Domestic Violence Awareness Month continues
Ouachita Family Center provides a safe, secure shelter and supportive services for all victims of domestic violence and their children, according to Nicole Turner, the center’s domestic violence program director.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Turner wants to raise public awareness that organizations like OFC exist for victims of domestic violence.
OFC is a program of Ouachita Children, Youth & Family Services that opened two and a half years ago, on Jan. 14, 2019, Turner says, helping women and children fleeing from domestic violence, stalking and human trafficking.
“All of our services are free to victims of domestic violence. So when they come into us, they can get therapy. They can get group therapy, they can get weekly and monthly support groups. They can get assistance with parenting … legal services. If they need to file a restraining order, orders of protection, divorce papers … we have a contract with the prosecuting attorney here in Garland County at the courthouse,” she said.
“Any time they reach out and they say, ‘Hey, I don’t need shelter. I have my own place. I just need help with the legal services.’ And at that point is when I do a referral by referring them to Angela Street at the courthouse. Sometimes they need assistance with child care, so we provide transportation for those that come into our shelter,” Turner said.
“If they are interested in leaving that situation, they can call us and we can assist them with getting to safety,” she said. “We also have a safe spot for anytime somebody calls. We do not give out our physical address of the shelter due to confidentiality and safety reasons, but we do have a safe spot that we can meet the victim at.”
Turner said OFC currently doesn’t have a shelter for men, noting their center is strictly for women and their children, if they have children.
The number one thing Turner said they need donated is hygiene products, tissue, and paper towels.
“Sometimes you may have a victim call in and, you know, there’s a family of five … she has four kids. And sometimes when they leave they are not able to bring anything with them,” she said.
The Ouachita Family Center is a 24-hour emergency shelter for women and children, easily accessed by calling 501-865-3939. All services are free to victims of domestic violence.
Ashley Thompson, co-chair of the Garland County Domestic Violence Task Force and vice president of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, says donations are important for domestic violence services to continue to be provided.
“Financial donations are imperative at this point. There’s been an across-the-board lack of funding or cutting of funding for these services from the previous grant cycles. That affects Ouachita Family
Center, that affects Cooper Anthony, that affects (Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic). It affects the prosecuting attorney’s office, and all of those grant funds have cut significantly,” Thompson said.
“Supply donations are always welcome,” she said. “Any kind of donations. … Financial support is imperative. We do not want to lose advocates that are getting victims to safe shelter and meeting them in safe places, we don’t want to lose the resources to go into the legal system for legal advocacy, we don’t want to lose any of the services that we’re getting to children and youth.
“It’s imperative to get the message out that domestic violence programs are hurting right now, along with domestic violence victims. We do want people to help us get these clings out … to get those funded. But we would also like to help out the programs and organizations that are providing services.”
The task force meets on the last Monday of each month at 8:30 p.m. at Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness Community Center.
“People from the community are invited. Whether it is someone who has experienced domestic violence and needs that opportunity to tell their story, you’re in a safe place,” Susan Millerd, task force co-chair and Title IX Coordinator at National Park College, said.
“We had a person join us within the last few months that is very big on training women to protect themselves, particularly on a college campus (where) we know there’s dating violence and domestic violence. And so the task force meetings bring in folks around the community, so people are welcome,” she said.