Susie’s Place continues to grow, because the need for our services grows. We provide forensic interviews for reported victims of abuse, educate the community through prevention training programs and first responder training, and provide trauma focused mental health services through a partnership with Indiana Center for Children and Families. We are also embarking on a partnership to provide forensic medical exams in our Bloomington center, to serve the children who otherwise have to commute over an hour to reach a specialized medical professional. We provide wraparound services, not just to assist in the investigation of child abuse and neglect, but to invest in the future of our community and healing for victims.
Susie’s Place has interviewed 325 reported child victims of crime this year to date. 168 interviews took place in our Avon center. 157 took place in the Bloomington center. This time last year, the number was 319. Sadly, our numbers show no sign of slowing. We have worked cases from 21 counties this year to date, and 3 cases from either the FBI or the Dept. of Homeland Security. We have referred 6 reported victims for forensic medical exams and 25 reported victims to mental health services. There have been 27 times in the past 5 months where Susie’s Place staff have interviewed 5 or more reported victims in one day.
While we are pleased to be available to these children, the need is overwhelming. Each forensic interview costs roughly $432. Each prevention training, which is crucial to stemming the tide of child abuse, comes at a cost of to us of $15 per person. Training an average-size class of 20 people would cost $300. These are critical services to the children of our community, but we need your help to succeed.
Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Susie’s Place. We take pride in the work we do for children, but we cannot do it alone.