After months of trying to find a home, the Utah County Children's Justice Center is finally in business - but still without a home.
The center opened in mid-November in an office in the Utah County Administration Building. The office is the center's temporary home until a more permanent location is found. Director Paul Curtis said he is negotiating for a home in south Provo and hopes to be in a permanent location by spring."We're not where we want to be, but we're doing what we want to be doing," Curtis said.
In an attempt to lessen the trauma of the legal process for sexually and physically abused children, the center coordinates all interviewing of victims. In the past, a child was interviewed several times by police, social workers and attorneys at several different locations. The center provides a neutral, non-threatening location for all interviews.
"The purpose of this center is to prevent re-victimization of the kids as they go through the system," Curtis said.
In its 1991 session, the Legislature approved funding for centers in Utah, Weber and Salt Lake counties for three years. Each center will receive $100,000 a year. The centers in Weber and Salt Lake counties have been open for several months. Reports from those centers are that business is booming and the centers are successful.
"Until you actually see what goes on here you don't recognize the need for the center," said Louise Curry, acting director of the Weber County Children's Justice Center.
Even though the Utah County Children's Justice Center is operating in temporary quarters, Curtis said, the center is fully staffed with a victim-witness coordinator, a clinical coordinator and an office manager. Local law enforcement agencies and state social workers are wasting no time in taking advantage of the center and it already has a full work load.
"We're getting about two or three new cases each day and we expect to get about 500 cases each year," Curtis said.
County officials hope the center is not just a three-year deal. If the centers prove successful, officials hope the Legislature will provide permanent funding. However, even with state funding the center depends on grants and donations to survive. With operating costs and the salaries of four full-time staff members to pay, the $100,000 provided by the state is only about half of what the center needs to stay open.
"We're getting a lot of support, but we need a lot more to keep this thing going," Curtis said.
Curtis also is not likely to be a longtime fixture at the center. He came to the center on loan from the State Division of Youth Corrections, where he served as regional director for about 10 years. The concept of a children's justice center appealed to him and he asked state officials for the job. The state reached an agreement with the county whereby the county reimburses the state most of Curtis' salary. Curtis hopes he will be allowed to stay at the center for at least two years.
"I'm planning on staying here until the program is stabilized," he said.