VALLEY HEALTH: Wasilla center campaigns for donations to expand facility

WASILLA — Since it opened its doors in 1999, The Children’s Place, a non-profit in Wasilla that serves children impacted by abuse and neglect, has seen a 6 percent increase in the number of kids it serves each year. As of this year, the center has exceeded its capacity, and looking to expand.

Located at an Alaska State Trooper station in Wasilla, the center provides advocacy for families and kids at the initiation of neglect or abuse investigations, support services, referral to social services and mental health, and follow-up with families.

By providing a central location where medical, forensic interview, and referral takes place, said executive director Paula Jones, The Children’s Place helps to reduce trauma on child victims. The non-profit works with law enforcement and the Office of Children’s Services in a multidisciplinary team. While law enforcement focuses on crime, and OCS focuses on child welfare, she said, The Children’s Place is a neutral party that advocates for the welfare of child survivors of abuse more holistically.

It’s a difficult, but important task, Jones said.

“Oftentimes when a caregiver brings their child here, they learn that someone that they know and love has done something horrible to their child, and maybe that offender is also the income for the family,” Jones said. “So sometimes our referral is to help them figure out how they’re going to support the family. We also assist families in preparing violent crimes compensation applications, to cover immediate costs and mental health services.”

Jones said the The Children’s Place has anticipated an eventual need for expansion over time, but that a recent spike in abuse and neglect cases in the Valley has made the need more urgent.

The center currently serves around 250 kids per year, she said, or 20 kids per month. The year 2015 saw a surprising jump in the numbers of children referred for assessment in the Mat-Su, by an 18 percent increase over the previous year. In 2014, there had already been a 7 percent increase.

That’s put pressure on The Children’s Place to expand quickly, Jones said. She said she didn’t know why there had been an increase in cases in the past two years.

The Children’s Place plans to break ground this summer for a new 7,700 square foot building in Wasilla, in part with land donated by a community member and $750,000 in funds granted by the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

At the new facility, The Children’s Place staff will be co-located with some staff from OCS and AST, Jones said. Children will still be able to get forensic medical examinations and interviews done in one place, and families will be able to get referrals there, but as an added benefit, they’ll be able to see a mental health professional at the center instead of being referred out. The center will also be able to serve more children, Jones said. Space for the OCS and AST staff will be leased from the non-profit.

The building itself still needs $350,000 to be fully funded, Jones said, and to that end, The Children’s Place is embarking on a campaign to raise donations large and small. All donors will be permanently thanked inside of the building structure, she said, and major donors will participate in a ceremony before the new center opens.

The Children’s Place is looking to be moved into the expanded facility by late 2017, or early 2018, she said. As the valley’s nationally-accredited child advocacy center, she said, The Children’s Place is a linchpin in the Mat-Su Valley Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team.

“We essentially sit as the center of the wheel that’s the neutral location that all these investigative entities come together, and everybody’s got a slightly different angle,” she said. “The Children’s Place is a neutral place that facilitates and offers a voice in the best interests of the child.”

For more information about The Children’s Place, or to make a donation, go to www.thechildrens-place.org.