DOJ Office on Violence Against Women Awards $700,593 to Jefferson County’s One Place

BIRMINGHAM – The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women has awarded One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center $700,593 to support its mission as the comprehensive service provider for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in Jefferson County. U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and One Place Executive Director Allison Dearing announced the grant.

OVW issued the award through its Improving Criminal Justice Responses grant program. One Place, in collaboration with Jefferson County, will use this award to provide a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner to coordinate and manage the SANE program operated by the Crisis Center at One Place. The grant funding also enables One Place to provide trauma-informed advocacy training for Rape Response medical advocates and law enforcement; support a staff attorney from the YWCA Central Alabama to work onsite at One Place and provide comprehensive legal assistance; and sustain quarterly events to promote community awareness and engagement with One Place.

            “One Place is a vital resource in our community to ease the impact and trauma that victims of domestic violence and sexual assault suffer,” Town said. “Often victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are forced to relive horrific experiences as they recount the story of their assault to healthcare providers, crisis managers, law enforcement, and prosecutors. One Place is a national model where all domestic violence and sexual assault responders are gathered to coordinate services and limit the additional trauma suffered by victims. This grant will further enhance One Place’s ability to address the harm suffered by victims of violent crime and to best support their recovery.”

            “The awarded funds will allow One Place to expand its current on-site resources to offer increased support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault,” Dearing said. “This award affirms and advances the mission of our collaboration — which is to make the process less intimidating and more efficient for the survivors we serve.”

OVW’s Improving Criminal Justice Responses program is designed to encourage partnerships between state and local governments, courts, victim service providers, coalitions, and rape crisis centers to ensure that sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking are treated as serious violations of criminal law.

At One Place, victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault receive wraparound services from one central location, with an emphasis on maintaining a survivor-centered approach, which reduces barriers to seeking help in the Birmingham area.

The mission of One Place is to provide coordinated services to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through a multi-disciplinary team of agency professionals who are co-located and working together under roof. The founding agencies at One Place include the Birmingham Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the YWCA Central Alabama and the Crisis Center, Inc.

One Place is the only agency in the state of Alabama to receive this OVW grant award in 2018.

For more information on One Place and its services contact (205) 453-7261.

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