CRESTVIEW — A child advocacy group seeks sponsors and donations to complete a family visitation center.
The Judge Ben Gordon Jr. Visitation Center would allow familiesdealing with child abuse, custody or divorce proceedings to meet in a safe, secure location.
The not-for-profit organization already has sites in DeFuniak Springs and Shalimar. Executive Director Sharon Rogers said the Crestview location, 6187th Ave., Crestview, will be the first visitation center the organization owns.
“It will be state of the art,” she said. “We have been going through a process of making it as safe as possible.”
That means two parking lots, security cameras and a supervisor overseeing visitations, she said.
In February, the organization –named after a former local judge and an avid child advocate –purchased a Crestview house to use as visitation center.
A $128,000 Impact 100 of Northwest Florida grant helped to purchase the residence. Now, renovations are underway, and several businesses have provided goods and services to the facility.
In addition to providing a secure location for family visitations, Rogers said the facility could offer several services to the community.
“The main use is for (monitored) exchanges,” she said. “The facility (also) could be used for small family services, group meetings for abused women or … a fatherhood group for young men,” she said.
Family psychologists could use the facility for services. It could also be used for other local child advocate organizations like Guardian Ad Litem, she said.
The organization will soon train volunteers to oversee visitations. She hopes to have the facility open with city approval upon construction completion, Rogers said.
WANT TO HELP?
You can support the Judge Ben Gordon Jr. Visitation Center at www.gofundme.com/e3br1c. See www.familyvisitationcenters.org for more information on its services.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Community sponsors, donations sought for family visitation center