The Child Advocacy Center is moving to a new location after nearly 30 years in Springfield’s Walnut Street Historic District.
The nonprofit is purchasing a building in the Elfindale Center, owned by Guaranty Bank, and plans to build a 10,000-square-foot addition.
CAC serves the needs of abused and neglected children in southwest and south central Missouri. The organization serves 14 counties and collaborates with 70 different agency partners, including from children's division, law enforcement, juvenile offices and prosecuting attorneys, said CAC Executive Director Katiina Dull.
Since the organization started in 1995, she said more than 26,000 children have received services there. Last year, they saw 1,657 kids.
“One is too many,” she said, “but these numbers are staggering, and, sadly, the need for our services is only continuing to rise.”
In 2021, the average wait time for services was nine days, according to Dull, and they set a goal to serve every child within three days of referral. They managed to get that down to 5.6 days, but, with an increased demand for services, wait time is now at nearly 11 days.
“This is an eternity for a child,” said Dull.
She said, even when a child is in a safe place, they shouldn't have to wait to tell their story.
"I just think about how hard that is for a child who's carrying this big secret who may be safe but is still carrying this very heavy secret and is feeling ready to tell and share about that," she said. "We want to make sure that the space is available for them to be able to do that when they're ready and on their own time."
The cozy space on Walnut Street, she said, has welcomed children, families and investigators for year but can no longer meet the needs of the region.
CAC has added two extensions at that location, and they acquired the house next door to help with space, but it's not enough.
Dull said the new facility will allow them to add staff and to bring mental health services on site. Dull said they'll also be able to add wraparound services for caregivers, "all with the goal of promoting healing."
CAC kicked off a capital campaign Monday to raise $3 million – the rest of the $8 million that’s needed for the project. They’ve already secured funds from the Dr. John P. Ferguson family, the Musgrave Foundation, the estate of Kathleen Griesemer and anonymous donors.
Dull said they're under contract on the new location and expect to close on the property in early August.
She said the building "meets 100% of our needs for staff and our training and prevention teams," but to be sure it will meet the needs of the children they serve, they're adding on. The new addition will allow CAC to increase the number of service pods from three to five. CAC employs currently 39 people.
Training and prevention programming will be amped up, targeting the root causes of abuse and helping break generational cycles of abuse, according to Dull.
She said, most of the time, children love or trust the person who abuses them. She pointed out that communities often focus on stranger danger when talking about children's safety, "but when it's more within our family and our neighborhoods and our community services, it's so much more pervasive."
Helping those children come forward and share what they've experienced, she said, is often the only way to ensure their safety in the future.
Dull hopes to be able to move into the new facility next summer.
"This is not just a building project. This is a community commitment to ensure that no child waits for help and that every child has a chance to heal."
