Grant to help fight domestic violence

Lee Scrivner

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000 | 10:35 a.m.

A Department of Justice grant of $750,000 has been awarded to Clark County Family and Youth Services to boost enforcement of domestic laws and to protect and assist those in need of safe shelter, counseling and other services.

"One of the main features of the initiative is to team child protection services with domestic violence programs," Pat Thacker, Child Advocacy Center coordinator, said.

Victims of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect will benefit from the federal grant, Rep. Shelley Berkley said Tuesday.

Recipients of the grant include both child protection systems at Child Haven, as well as domestic violence advocates at Safe Nest, Safe House and the Women's Development Center.

"A lot of times the goal of domestic violence programs is to encourage mothers to leave an abusive husband, whereas the goal of child protection services is to keep the family intact," Adrienne Cox, assistant director of the Clark County Department of Family & Youth Services, said.

"So the two programs have been somewhat at odds. "Now the Department of Justice has intervened with this cutting-edge program so that the two systems will work more cohesively."

Child Haven provides a secure environment for children 3 days to 17 years old who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. In 1998, a total of 3,349 children were admitted into Child Haven in Las Vegas.

Safe Nest and Safe House are shelters specifically for domestic violence victims and their children. Safe Nest assisted 7,000 domestic violence victims obtain orders for protection in 1999.

The $750,000 federal grant will be split with $369,125 going for staffing and operations of Child Haven and $380,875 going to Safe Nest, Safe House, and the Women's Development Center.

"We hope this initiative will help break the cycle of violence," Berkley said. "Children who are abused will often become the abusers of the next generation.

"This grant is just a beginning. It is certainly not the end of the problems we are facing."