A new Children's Advocacy Center location is coming to Gentry to serve child abuse victims and families in western Benton County.
Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County (CAC) broke ground on the 4,940-square-foot facility on Thursday. The new location will provide child abuse victims and their families easier access to services, without having to drive to Little Flock, according to Natalie Tibbs, CAC executive director.
"Our priority as a Child Advocacy Center is to put he needs of a child first, period" she said. "It doesn't matter any other circumstances, it's to meet that child where they are at. Well, have you ever driven from Siloam Springs to Little Flock? Or from here to Little Flock? We were not meeting the needs of children where they are. We have to take our services to where kids need it most and this whole western quarter was being vastly under served by our center, so we show up, that's what we do."
Tibbs estimated the new $1.1 million facility will be complete in six to eight months. It will be modeled after a home so that children will feel as comfortable as possible and will include space to provide a range of services, such as advocacy, forensic interviews, medical examinations and counseling, as well as staff offices and waiting areas for children and families, according to a press release.
Since Jan. 1, CAC has served 200 children, 40 of which would have been better served at the Gentry facility, Tibbs said.
On Thursday, Tibbs said the project is 92 percent funded. The organization recently received a matching grant from the Simmons Family and Endeavor, that will fully fund the new location when it is matched, she said.
Janie Parks, president of Gentry United Way, presented a $230,000 check to CAC during the ceremony.
Lori Collins, CAC board chair, and Chuck Hyde, board member, thanked the local businesses, organizations and individuals who have contributed to the project.
Hyde said the organization is overwhelmed by the generosity but not surprised because the western Benton County community has a long history of coming together to support children and families.
"Where we stand today is going to turn into a place that is both life changing and life giving for kids and families in Gentry, and in Decatur, and in Gravette and in Siloam Springs and all these areas around us, so thank you for being a part of it," Hyde said.
The new CAC location will have a big impact on the Siloam Springs Police Department, according to Captain Derek Spicer, who attended the ceremony with other law enforcement officials from Siloam Springs and western Benton County.
Having a CAC location available in Gentry will be easier families and cut down in officers' workload, Spicer said. Many of the people the department serves can't afford the 45-minute drive to Little Flock or don't have their own car, so the department transports the children, he said.
"Having (a CAC location) right here in Gentry is going to be a 10 minute drive; the families that are impacted live so close, they are in Siloam, Gentry, Gravette, Decatur," Spicer said. "All the ( Arkansas Highway) 59 corridor is going to be served by this because when you think about taking an officer off the street for three to five hours for one interview as opposed to now coming over for maybe an hour, it's going to be amazing for all agencies."
General News on 03/08/2020