Turning Point hoping to prevent domestic violence before it happens
Turning Point of South Arkansas is seeking to stop domestic violence before it begins, and thanks to a VIP (Violence Intervention Plan) grant from the SHARE Foundation, they’re working with students in the Junction City School District to show what a healthy relationship looks like.
Turning Point is primarily known for its domestic violence shelter, where women who have been abused can come, with their children if they have them, for safe, secure housing while they get back on their feet. Counselors also provide emotional support and help connect survivors of domestic and sexual abuse to resources like recovery assistance, legal aid, housing and job and life skills.
“We’re just here (for our clients) — whatever that means, in whatever capacity they need. We’re here with them,” Jennifer Davis said during a VIP grant awards ceremony in January. “This is about so much more than this grant. We’re going to be able to share our hearts with people in their darkest hours.”
Davis announced when the nonprofit received its latest VIP grant that it had started offering the “Safe Dates” education program at the JCSD. It covers topics like healthy relationships, red flags in relationships, dating and partner violence, she said.
The Turning Point shelter recently benefited from several renovations when local churches and members of the Rotary Club “adopted” rooms at the shelter to make them more comfortable and child-friendly. Church members painted bedrooms, replaced bedding and added homey features, while Rotarians renovated the children’s playroom and the shelter’s intake area to make the latter more calming and the former more fun.
Davis said in January that Turning Point’s mission is two-fold: to intervene in the lives of men and women facing domestic violence (DV), and to prevent local residents from becoming involved in violent relationships.
For more information, visit endallviolence.org or call 870892-0929.