New center helps those in need on many levels

PALMER -- Fluffy quilts in calm, muted tones adorned the walls, with stuffed animals adorning the beds and cribs in the living quarters creating an atmosphere of comfort and peace. Not far away, a children's' play area provided bright plastic toys and games to occupy the center's younger residents. The faint smell of new paint common to recently erected buildings hung in the air.

Such was the scene that greeted visitors at the new Alaska Family Resource Center near Palmer Junior Middle School, off of North Eklutna Street. The new center represents a significant step forward in AFRC's efforts to protect Valley families from domestic violence and substance abuse, as well as provide support for dietary planning and child care for Valley families in need.

Don Bennice, executive director of the center, said he was impressed by the involvement and support shown by residents in the area.

"It's kind of a tribute to the community," Bennice said. "Palmer really went out of their way to make this happen."

The opening comes at the conclusion of long efforts on the part of the center. "This started out as a wish list and sort of snowballed," Bennice said of the two years of planning and construction leading up to the new shelter's completion. "Fortunately, it's been a process during which we've had a lot of help from a lot of different sources."

Prior to this grand opening, the AFRC's Palmer operations were handled for 25 years out of a 50-year-old building. Nevertheless, the center provided the only domestic-abuse shelter and 24-hour hotline for domestic violence and sexual abuse in the Mat-Su Borough, Bennice said.

"The old center was a good place," he said. "It had lots of heart and lots of energy."

"And lots of mold," Board of Director President Susan Lemagie chimed in, to the agreement of all.

Among the prominent public figures present at the opening were Sen. Lyda Green, Cheryl Gustafson from the congressional delegation, and Palmer Deputy Mayor Tony Pippel.

The AFRC acts as an umbrella organization for child-care assistance, domestic violence support, dietary program design, and a host of other family support services as well. Bennice emphasized that the center focuses on care for all aspects of the family, not just violence toward women or substance abuse.

"This agency does a lot more than people think we do," he said. "The most important thing I'd like to do is emphasize that this isn't just a shelter for battered women; it's a shelter for the family."

Bennice calls the shelter "part of our strategic planning for new programs based on the community's needs."

The AFRC currently has four locations around the Valley, including the new Palmer branch and two Wasilla locations.

The resource center's old shelter contained 20 beds, while the new facility boasts 32, 15 of which are devoted to the center's new Women's Residential Reunification and Action Program program intended to treat substance abuse and chemical dependency. The rest of the beds will be used to address more traditional domestic needs. The new units are largely self-contained, with two kitchen areas and bathrooms with shower and hygiene facilities. Attached counselor's offices and security stations ensure confidentiality and security at the new location.

The WRAPP program should help to alleviate the shelter's previous inability to treat cases of drug abuse. Bennice said that roughly 60 percent of the center's patients have substance abuse problems.

"The drug and alcohol abuse problem in the borough is huge," said Bennice, who added that the lack of detoxification facilities in the area makes treatment of alcoholism particularly difficult. "We couldn't handle them in the past, with our old facility."

Ongoing work at the Palmer shelter will add a secure play area for children behind the building with a view of Pioneer and Matanuska peaks.

The shelter is still seeking donations of both landscaping materials and plants to beautify the grounds. "We'd like to send out a plea for shrubbery," Lemagie said.

Lemagie also said the organization, which used to be known as the Womens' Resource Center, changed its name to reflect its focus on not only women, but entire families. "We want to form alliances with other nonprofits to improve our community services," she said.

The price tag for the center totaled approximately $1.1 million. Money was raised as a collaborative effort between the city of Palmer, which contributed $500,000, the Rasmuson Foundation, which gave $483,000, and the Denali Commission, Wells Fargo and the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, all of which contributed from $5,000 to $50,000. The AFRC also chipped in, creating a Building Development Committee to cover the cost of the project's externals.

During the brief ceremony celebrating the center's opening, Wells Fargo presented a check for an additional $4,000 to the center to help it get up and running.

Gary Wolf, a Palmer architect, and Collins Construction were instrumental in designing the building and putting all the pieces together.

Among the services provided by the AFRC is a specialized and intensive outpatient substance abuse program ranging from eight to 20 hours per week, depending on the amount of need displayed. Patients who are unable to maintain a corrective course of action in this program will draw on Nugen's Ranch's inpatient residential treatment. Patients experiencing co-occurring mental health disorders or who need particular therapeutic support may also rely on the comprehensive array of services at Nugen's, such as the dual diagnosis residential program.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.