After getting its start in the basement of the District Attorney’s Office, One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center recently renovated a building on Birmingham’s Southside, where they now operate five days a week.
One Place now has dedicated space within their office for partners with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the Birmingham Police Department, the YWCA Central Alabama and the Crisis Center, Inc. to assist victims of domestic violence with counseling and legal resources all in one place, said Allison Dearing, the center’s executive director.
The 5,800-square-foot building includes private rooms for each department and a playroom for children to enjoy while their parents are meeting with advocates and counselors. The playroom has glass walls so parents can see their children playing but know their children cannot hear their conversations with representatives.
Dearing said the Birmingham community has shown great generosity to help expand One Place. The United Way sold the building–previously an overnight shelter for Pathways–to One Place for $1; the Junior League of Birmingham and Navigate Affordable Housing Partners awarded the center grant funds for the renovations; and One Place also received support from the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program and from the Daniel Foundation of Alabama.
“The incredible response from across the community has allowed One Place to grow from a pilot project operating one day a month to a standalone facility with four different agencies operating under one roof to support and serve survivors.”
Brasfield & Gorrie has provided the renovations for the second phase of construction at One Place, which includes a sexual assault examination room and private waiting room.
For a story on the history of One Place from AL.com, click here. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/06/lets_stop_domestic_violence_no.html
For a story in Weld of Birmingham, click here. http://weldbham.com/blog/2016/10/20/one-place-family-justice-center-to-move-into-new-building/)