Lisa Cobb
Published: February 18 2004
In the transom above the door are the words, “Small voices heard here.” Indeed, as one walks through the front entryway the warmth of pastel painted walls scattered with artwork of whimsical animals and playing children continues to draw one further in.
With each new corner that is turned, one is met with brightly painted furniture, perfect for the bodies of little children, and ceilings painted with shooting stars and a golden yellow moon.
It seems everything in this place calls to the imaginative play of a child – clean, bright, and inviting. There are shelves full of books to be read and toys to be played with, a large aquarium full of tropical fish, and a play yard enclosed by a garden wall.
Can this be Pensacola’s latest hands-on museum for children? Or maybe a new private school designed for creative, imaginative learning? Perhaps we are strolling through the grand opening of a child-sized Pottery Barn.
No. The sobering reality is that this artful, inviting facility, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, located on 12th Avenue in Pensacola, exists as a child advocacy center to serve abused children and their families. Every child-sized feature, some only large enough for babies, is here for children who have suffered through the trauma of abuse.
Carmen Jones, executive director of Gulf Coast Kid’s House, said that last year in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties 7,000 cases of child abuse were reported; 4,300 of them were fully investigated.
Nine out of 10 cases come from a call to the child abuse hot line, which is then dispatched to the Department of Children and Families. In the past, when the abuse was reported, each child had to repeat his or her story again and again to various agencies such as law enforcement officials, medical examiners, social workers and state attorneys.
The child repeatedly relived the trauma with each interview over a prolonged period of time.
What Gulf Coast Kid’s House has done is unify these various disciplines under one roof. A child tells his or her story in a child-friendly environment, not at the police station or at the typical emergency room, to one counselor while other agencies such as law enforcement or the state attorney’s office watch the interview through a mirrored window. A process that once could take weeks to complete can now be completed in hours.
According to an article in Pensacola Today Magazine, Olivia Burley, Gulf Coast Kid’s House board member, said “The key concept behind Gulf Coast Kid’s House is that a multidisciplinary team, which consists of child protective services, law enforcement, prosecution, and medical and mental health professionals, is located in one building to better meet the needs of abused children.
The primary focus is ensuring that children who are victims of abuse will not be further traumatized by the system that is intended to help and protect them.”
Educating the community about child abuse is listed as one of the goals on the agency’s Web site.
Jones said they will attempt to do this through such programs as Rapid Response in which children in local schools learn that it is OK to say no when touched inappropriately and how to respond in such situations. Teaching local churches how to identify abuse is another form of community education that the center will be involved in.
Funding for Gulf Coast Kid’s House begins with each of the eight state organizations leasing their offices from the agency. Jones adds that future plans are to have four major fund-raising events each year such as the Flight of Fancy Gala coming up in March, along with smaller ongoing projects throughout the year.
Because this is a non-profit organization, its operation strongly relies on the charitable gifts, contributions, and volunteer efforts of the community.
One such volunteer, Sue White, a former protective investigator, remembers people talking about the need for such a facility 13 years ago. Said White, “It is an honor to work here.”
The response of the Pensacola community has been overwhelming, says Jones, with businesses and individuals donating everything from office furniture and equipment to yard maintenance for the next year to donations of decorated cakes and cookies for the grand opening event.
“We want this place to feel like a child’s place, not an adult place,” said Jones. Perhaps, it is in this spirit of unity and giving that the small voices in the Pensacola community will be heard.
