Last week, the Governor’s Crime Commission released its list of grantees, and we are incredibly excited to highlight a few grant recipients who will help the state improve criminal justice, services for victims, and juvenile justice. These organizations provide valuable services to the community and this funding will help them continue to do this important work.
One of these grantees, Mainstay, Inc. will receive funds that will go toward operating transitional housing for individuals and families who are victims of domestic violence. Transitional housing reduces homelessness and gives victims a way out of the abuse. The organization is in its 23rd year of serving as Henderson County’s domestic violence prevention agency, and operates the largest battered women’s shelter in Western North Carolina.
In line with Governor Perdue’s goal of reducing the number of repeat offenders, as demonstrated in the recently formed StreetSafe Task Force, Passage Home will receive funding to continue running Esther House, a transitional home for female ex-offenders that provides workforce development. Passage Home is a faith-based organization that has been serving Wake County for 17 years. Additionally, funding for the Adult Drug Treatment Court in Brunswick County will help reduce repeat offender numbers, and decrease reliance on social services. The court provides supervised, long-term substance abuse treatment to non-violent, drug- and/or alcohol-addicted offenders.
The Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina will receive funding for their Advocates for Children in Domestic Violence program. This project trains Wake Forest University law students to act as a Guardian ad Litem for children who are victims of domestic violence. Those students will then be able to assist with the center’s 80+ and growing number of cases, advocating for children in the courts in cases where there is evidence of domestic violence. The Children’s Law Center of Central NC is the only organization in Central NC to address children’s needs in these cases.