Child advocacy center may move to Hoyt Avenue site

Published 9:53 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2009

EVERETT — The county’s child advocacy center is closer to having a home of its own.

The founders of Dawson Place always envisioned finding a permanent location. The board is making plans to buy a building just three years after the nonprofit organization opened its doors to children and their families.

The group hopes to buy a two-story building on Hoyt Avenue, just around the corner from the center’s current location, Snohomish County Prosecutor Janice Ellis said. The center currently is housed in leased office space on Colby Avenue.

The $2.3 million deal isn’t finalized but is moving forward, Ellis said.

Ellis heads the nonprofit agency’s steering committee. The center could move into the building by the end of the year, she said.

Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday signed off on the state’s capital spending budget, which allocates $1 million to help the board purchase a building for Dawson Place. The center hopes also to secure some federal funding.

“I think it’s at least a minor miracle. People see that the need is so great and compelling that some money was allocated for this even during a year of cuts and eliminations,” said Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe, who works at Dawson Place.

Snohomish County sheriff’s Sgt. Gregg Rinta sees the financial support from state lawmakers as a testament to work the center is doing for children in the community.

“Purchasing a building is huge for us,” said Rinta, who oversees the sheriff’s detectives who work in the center.

State Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, who helped secure the money for Dawson Place said the center provides an invaluable service.

“Nobody else does anything like this,” he said.

Each year the center sees about 650 children who may have been abused. Dawson Place brings together people in a variety of fields to help children become healthy and bring abusers to justice.

Children and their families can go to one place to talk to police officers, prosecutors, state Child Protective Services caseworkers, and medical and mental health professionals from Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse and Compass Health.

“Cases are staffed well and staffed quickly,” Ellis said.

Just 16 months after it opened the center earned accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance. Accreditation is only offered to child advocacy centers that demonstrate a proven record of investigation and treatment of child abuse victims.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.