CLEARFIELD – At Tuesday’s meeting, the Clearfield County Commissioners approved applying for grant funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) for a Safe Haven Program in Clearfield and Jefferson counties.
If awarded the grant, Community Development Specialist Lisa Kovalick said Crossroads and PASSAGES will provide appropriate support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and stalking by working directly with adult and child victims. She said they will provide supervised visitation and safe exchanges for approximately 50 adult victims and their children.
She said during the development and implementation of this program, its primary consulting team will consist of Judge Paul E. Cherry and members from the League on Social Services, Central Pennsylvania Community Action (CPCA) Inc.’s Crossroads Project and PASSAGES.
She said team members will be required to obtain OVW training, to conduct monthly consulting committee meetings and to develop policies and procedures that will empower victims while best meeting their needs. She said team members will work together to identify a new center location for the Clearfield area and to determine the needs to provide transportation for victims. She said this will include developing transportation policies and procedures that address provisions and or stipends for victim travel.
Kovalick said during the development phase, the league will also hire program staff, develop and implement security measures and trainings.
