Jamie Bormann, director of programs for the Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, says most everyone knows someone who has been impacted by domestic violence or sexual assault, even if they aren’t aware. Across the country, statistically, domestic violence affects one in four women and one in nine men.
And often those people don’t know about the help Crisis Line & Safe House can provide.
“I’ve had people bring in friends, and they will say to me, I wish I’d known about y’all when I was going through this,” Bormann said. “And so really, our goal is to ensure that the community knows about our services and knows how to access them.”
For the Crisis Line and Safe House, their impact report from the last year says within the central Georgia community they have handled almost 3,000 hotline calls taken, provided 4,043 bed nights in the shelter, and provided 542 clients with legal services or advocacy. They have taken calls from 78 counties in Georgia and 13 other states.
The agency is now working towards streamlining its services by establishing a Family Justice Center, to be named One Safe Place Macon. They aim to establish a central location to cover all concerns of those facing domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of victimization with a range of partnering government agencies.
Currently, the Crisis Line & Safe House accepts calls on their 24-hour hotline, provides safe housing and shelter, and refers those in need to partnering organizations that can offer further assistance.
Bormann explains that the organization takes calls for a variety of concerns, from homelessness to financial crises to mental health crises and more. If they’re unable to help directly, they can connect callers to resources that better fit the problem.
Suzanne Walker, executive director of the agency, emphasizes the range of services provided by the Crisis Line & Safe House, as they operate now.
“Every situation is personal to them, and so even if someone’s need may not be visibly fit in one category of the programs that we listed, that doesn’t mean we can’t help them, you know, like we will still work with them and see because there’s a lot of resources we can provide that people are not always aware of,” Walker said.
When the Family Justice Center opens, the Crisis Line & Safe House will be leading the project, providing the extent of their services to the center. Alongside them, partnering agencies will also be in-house and providing their own services. The goal of the project is to provide a “one-stop shop” or central location to find help, rather than outsourcing needs through the Crisis Line & Safe House alone.
Bormann describes the scope of the upcoming center. It will cover a range of services, with contributors like the sheriff’s office, DA’s office, solicitor’s office, and more.
“It’s a multi-disciplinary center where different organizations and governmental agencies co-locate their services,” Bormann says. “All of us are planning to come together in this building to provide services so that the person who’s experienced the crime only has to walk through one door to get everything they need.”
The agency is currently capital campaigning for the funds dedicated to the Family Justice Center. These funds contribute to rebuilding the establishment to the extent of the services provided.
Funding for the project officially began in 2020, and onnce completed, it will be located at 1120 Second St.
“It is an extreme act of bravery to reach out for help, and we want people to know that we’re here for them and that it is as simple as a phone call to get connected to services,” Borman says.
Walker emphasizes, if you or someone you know has been impacted by domestic violence, assault, or victimization, the Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia is accessible through their 24-hour hotline at 478-745-9292.
