Abuse victim center short on funding

Interact, a private, non-profit, United Way agency, is opening one of the first collaborative centers - providing services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Posted 2:55 a.m. Jan 31, 2009 — Updated 4:11 p.m. Apr 24, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. — After two years of construction, Interact of Wake County’s Safety and Empowerment Center is on track to open at the end of February, but officials say the project is still $700,000 short.

Interact, a private, non-profit, United Way agency, is opening one of the first collaborative centers - providing services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The facility should be open to occupants in several weeks, but Interact of Wake County communications outreach specialist Damita Chambers said funding for the $5 million project has come up short.

“It is an urgent need for us,” Chambers said.

The 55,000 square-foot facility is located on Oberlin Road near Cameron Village. The reworked YMCA will be triple the size of Interact’s old office.

“This building was really a dream come true for us,” Chambers said.

The center will house the Raleigh Police Department’s Family Violence Intervention Unit; Southlight, which provides substance abuse help; Easter Seals UCP, which provide mental health services; and Legal Aid of North Carolina – creating a virtual one-stop location for victims.

“It just made so much sense for it to be in one location. It was just a no-brainer for us,” said Tommy Klein, of the Raleigh Police Department.

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