Family Services of McDowell County is offering its help for victims of domestic violence in a nearby county who are suddenly without a sanctuary.
Effective Friday of last week, REACH of Jackson County was shut down due to financial problems. The agency provided a shelter and help for victims of domestic violence. Sister agencies such as REACH of Macon County and REACH of Haywood County have offered to help the clients from Jackson who suddenly found themselves without a shelter and nowhere to go for help.
Family Services of McDowell County provides refuge for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Megan Webster, executive director of Family Services, quickly stepped forward to offer her agency’s help to REACH in Macon and Haywood. These agencies might become overwhelmed with clients from Jackson, in addition to their own.
“I have contacted the agencies they are referring people to,” said Webster. “We would be more than willing to take over some of their clients.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Family Services had not received any clients from the neighboring counties. But the shelter for McDowell stands ready to help. And how these additional clients would be helped by Family Services depends on the seriousness of each case, said Webster.
“Everybody in their area might not be able to get the help they need because it is more rural,” she added.
Webster said she believes other domestic violence shelters would want to assist another community faced with a situation like this. Shelters such as REACH of Jackson County and Family Services of McDowell County depend on public funding and donations in order to stay in operation.
“A lot of people don’t understand how important financial support is,” she said. “A lot of people think we are a state agency.”
Family Services gets money from the county and state grants and operates two thrift stores. Like other agencies, it also relies on donations. If one of these funding sources was suddenly gone, Family Services could find itself in a situation like the one in Jackson.
“We would probably have to shut down just like that,” said Webster.
Since 1983, Family Services has been McDowell’s “only refuge for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.” The clients include women and children. In addition to providing an emergency sanctuary for the victims, Family Services of McDowell County provides them with programs that promote prevention and healing from their experiences. It also seeks to educate the local community about the problem of domestic abuse and violence.
Family Services has 13 employees, four of whom are full-time workers. The rest are part time. Webster said someone is always on staff at Family Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Family Services is different from the Friendship Home, which is operated by McDowell Mission Ministries as a homeless shelter for women and children.
And on Thursday, Feb. 23, Family Services will start a new support group for domestic violence victims. It will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the conference room at McDowell Department of Social Services. Participation in the support group is free, according to Webster.
For more information about Family Services of McDowell County, contact the office at 652-8538. The 24-hour crisis line is 652-6150 but is for emergency situations only.
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