Child Advocacy Center Opens in Hooper Bay
1st Lt. Balinda ONeal | Alaska National Guard
Children in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region who’ve experienced abuse have a safe place to recover. Bay Haven’s child advocacy center in Hooper Bay serves clients locally and from the neighboring villages of Scammon Bay and Chevak.
Wraparound Services
The center is an extension of Bay Haven’s existing services, including a three-bedroom shelter for people who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault (DV/SA) in Chevak and Scammon Bay.
Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP) teamed up with the Native Villages of Hooper Bay, Chevak, and Scammon Bay to design the center. Four rooms inside Hooper Bay’s Sea Lion Building, donated by the Sea Lion Corporation, were renovated in April.
Current Issue
October 2023
Bay Haven’s child advocacy center provides children and their safe caregivers with coordinated services following concerns of physical or sexual abuse. Wraparound services ensure that investigative interviews are child-friendly with certified “ChildFirst” trained staff, providing support during law enforcement investigations and safety planning with child protection workers. The center also provides aftercare and survivor groups that embrace cultural values and holistic approaches as children and families move forward in their healing.
Since the Bay Haven DV/SA shelter opened in June 2020, it has served 301 people through services offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bay Haven employs twelve trained advocates who provide safety planning, resource referrals, legal advocacy, and regular groups that provide healing through cultural connections and tradition.
