“Last year, we opened 283 new cases of abuse,” said Mark Smith, director of Power House Child Advocacy Center & Sexual Assault Center, a division of FAITH — Fight Abuse in the Home.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, FAITH Power House celebrated the opening of its new location at 390 Rockford Cove Road in Mt. Airy. The approximately 14,000-square-foot facility more than triples the space available at its former 4,000-square-foot location in Toccoa.
FAITH serves Stephens, Banks, Habersham, and Rabun counties.
“We provided services to right at 700 people. So that’s a lot of people through the doors, and that house [Toccoa location] was extremely small. So the beauty of the building here is that it’s in 2 sections,” Smith said.
The new location provides immediate crisis care in one section and therapy in the other.
Crisis care and gathering evidence
Laura Davis, Empowering Families coordinator, explained that Power House provides services addressing child abuse, sexual assault and child sexual exploitation, including human trafficking.
“We’re the neutral party and all this. All our job is to do is to find out the facts of what happened… All we’re doing is in an interview and a medical exam saying, To the best of our knowledge, this is what happened. It’s not, according to the parents, it’s not according to a witness from the other end of it… Just the medical evidence right in front and then the child’s story,” says Davis
When a child is brought to the facility, one goal is to gather evidence through the child’s testimony and medical examination while minimizing further trauma.
A trained forensic interviewer conducts the interview in a dedicated room while law enforcement observes from another location within the facility. The interview is recorded.
Power House’s sexual assault division also serves adults ages 18 and older. In the expanded medical examination room, a full-time forensic nurse examiner can collect evidence using a sexual assault evidence kit, conduct a full forensic examination and send samples to Labcorp when needed. The examiner is also trained to conduct strangulation examinations.
The main level includes rooms for weekly briefings with law enforcement, advocate offices and spaces where victims and their families can decompress.
Recognizing abuse and supporting families
Kelsey Taylor, director of outreach services, also serves as a forensic interviewer and trafficking advocate.
“We see a lot in the area of familial trafficking. For example, mom doesn’t have enough money to pay her car payment, so she tells the car dealership, the buy-here, pay-here car person, ‘You can do this with my daughter, instead of me paying the payment this month.’”
The additional space gives Taylor room to work with families, helping them recognize abuse and understand that support is available.
“Our focus at this point … is making sure that people know that this isn’t normal. This is not how things are supposed to happen in a family.”
Taylor also assures victims that the abuse is not their fault.
“This abuse is not anything that you have brought on yourself or all of those things that we really want to make sure people understand and know that there is help here,” Taylor said.
FAITH partners with several organizations, including the Division of Family and Children Services, local law enforcement, Circle of Hope and the district attorney’s office.
Dannette Holcombe, legal and outreach advocate, helps families navigate the legal process and work with the district attorney’s office. A former schoolteacher, Holcombe acknowledged that the job comes with challenges.
“It takes a certain personality to do this job and not take it home with you and not take it personal and not blame people for decisions that are made,” Holcombe said.
A place for healing
Counseling services for victims — and staff, when needed — are provided in the Healing Barn on the second floor.
FAITH has contracted with Turning Point Counseling for 25 years to provide counseling services, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
Separated from the crisis care activity downstairs, the second floor includes sensory rooms, decorated counseling spaces and offices. Local artists donated numerous pieces of artwork.
Outside, a colorful covered playground sits behind the building, while a family of decorative giraffes stands in front.
“The big one [decorative giraffe], Lindsay, is named after a child victim who wanted to grow up to be an advocate. She was killed, I believe it was a car crash, but she loved giraffes. Someone donated the giraffes in her name so we called it Lindsay,” Davis said.
Meeting an ongoing need
Now Georgia asked Josh Holt, director of shelter services, “What do you hope for the organization?”
“You want it to prosper and and to grow, but in the same aspect, you don’t because it’s it’s a need that we don’t want to have to have, but we have to have it. It’s needed, but we hate that we have to have it.”
There is also hope in the work. Holcombe said seeing former victims doing well after receiving services makes her feel good.
FAITH opened 283 new abuse cases last year and projects approximately 300 new cases this year. Those figures do not include ongoing cases from previous years that continue to require services and case management.
Anyone who needs help can call FAITH’s crisis line at 706-782-1338. For information about donating or volunteering, call 706-782-1003.
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