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Family Refuge Center 117 E. Washington Street P. O. Box 249 Lewisburg, WV 24901 304-645-6334 Pocahontas County dial: 799-4400 Monroe County dial: 772-5005 frc@familyrefugecenter.com |
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safety if you use the internet to contact us. Someone may be able to access or read e-mail to us or you. Please call or write if you need total secrecy |
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FAMILY REFUGE CENTER
FACT SHEET
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY
The Family Refuge Center is a community-based domestic violence project serving Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Monroe Counties in southeast West Virginia committed to ending physical, sexual, and emotional abuse in families. We encourage and promote healthy family life based on mutual respect and support for all family members.
To this end, we provide direct services to victims and develop community awareness and responsiveness through our Crisis Intervention, Advocacy, Continuing Support, Community Education and Outreach Programs. Services available through these programs include:
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SERVICES PROVIDED
Today, the Family Refuge Center is a comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault project which serves the tri-county area with shelter, advocacy office and administrative offices in Lewisburg and an outreach office in Pocahontas County. Domestic Violence services include a 24- hour hot line, temporary shelter, empowerment counseling, legal advocacy, assistance and advocacy with community resources, information and referral, support groups, adult basic education and vocational planning, children's groups and activities, a summer day camp, tutoring, and children's advocacy.
Sexual assault services include legal advocacy and court accompaniment, information and referral, crisis intervention, support groups, child sexual abuse investigation, parent education and support. Prevention and community education services include school programs for all grades, speakers for community education and church groups, and in service training for medical and other service providers.
The FRC is also involved with two major collaborative projects with other agencies. Advocates have been placed in the WVSOM clinic to identify and intervene with battered women patients, and the FRC is coordinating development of a multi-disciplinary child abuse investigation and intervention team in Greenbrier County. A full time staff of 14 and parttime staff of 5 work with the 19 member Board of Directors as well as volunteers to provide these services.
In 1978, a group of Greenbrier and Monroe County residents who were interested in organizing on behalf of women met and began what was to become the Family Refuge Center. They identified domestic violence as a problem which deeply affected the lives of women and children in the area. They documented the need for shelter services for battered women. A Domestic Violence Project offering safe space, counseling, advocacy, and community education was begun when one staff salary and minimal operating expenses were funded in 1979. In 1980, the Family Refuge Center was incorporated as a private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Additional funding was found for a shelter manager, and the first temporary shelter was opened in September of that year in SweetSprings, WV. A larger, more conveniently located shelter was opened at its present site in 1982. (editor's note: We've since moved again, hopefully for the last time)
Since that time the project has grown rapidly as a result of several factors. As the Center has become better known, demand for services has increased. By working closely with other agencies and service providers, the Family Refuge Center provides and accesses a wide range of resources and opportunities to clients while avoiding duplication of services. Increased public awareness of domestic violence has lead to additional funding becoming available through government sources.
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Family Refuge Center 117 E. Washington Street P. O. Box 249 Lewisburg, WV 24901 304-645-6334 Pocahontas County dial: 799-4400 Monroe County dial: 772-5005 frc@familyrefugecenter.com |
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safety if you use the internet to contact us. Someone may be able to access or read e-mail to us or you. Please call or write if you need total secrecy |
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Created by Mike Condon on Nov 30, 1997
Last update: July 31, 2000
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