Home > Live » Safe Havens: Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program
Safe Haven's Visitation Center
The Program
The Safe Havens Visitation Center in Kent provides a safe environment for children to visit their parent. While offering a pleasant, child-friendly atmosphere, all visitations are observed by highly trained monitors. The center is located across the street from the Kent Police Station and is equipped with security cameras, audio monitors, panic buttons, and emergency signal lighting. All policies and procedures are designed to increase safety for child and adult victims of domestic violence and decrease opportunities for further abuse before, during, and after visitation or exchanges.
Visitation and exchange services are provided:
Wednesday – Friday, 1:30-7:00 PM
Saturday, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Sunday, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Intakes are by appointment
Services are by appointment only. To inquire about services or to schedule an intake appointment, please call 253-856-5140
Center Wish List
- Nonviolent toys and games for kids ages 6 months – 15 years
- Nonviolent Wii and Playstation 2 games
- Additional controllers for Wii
- Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt)
- Flat screen televisions (2 20” screens) with wall mounts and DVD players for waiting rooms
- Extra sturdy foos ball table
- Arts and crafts supplies, books, kits, paints
- Waiting room magazine subsciptions (kids and adults)
- Other: Volunteers with expertise in FileMaker Pro database creation or expertise in scheduling software
Please contact Tracee Parker for more information about donating any of the items on our wish list at 253-856-5074 or tparker@ci.kent.wa.us
Funding
The program suffered a 33% decrease in 2010 due to the current economic crisis and is actively pursuing new funding sources and possible partnerships that can improve the likelihood of long-term financial stability. Safe Havens welcomes individual donations. Safe Havens funds are used for:
- Personnel (Program Supervisor, Program Assistant, and Visitation Monitors).
- Interpretation and translation services
- Ongoing training and consultation for staff and collaborative partners (as required by grants)
- Center supplies (including toys, games, videos, furniture, etc)
- Center operating costs (rent, gas/electricity, printing/copying, phones)
To Donate:
Mail checks made payable to Safe Havens/City of Kent
220 4th Ave S, Kent, WA 98032
Or click here to donate online.
History
In 2002, the City of Kent was awarded a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) of United States Department of Justice to open a Supervised Visitation and Exchange Center designed specifically for families referred due to domestic violence. The City was selected as one of four national Demonstration Sites (along with the City of Chicago, Santa Clara County, CA, and the State of Michigan) and as such received extensive technical assistance and support from local and national experts in the field of intimate partner abuse through collaboration with Praxis International and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Additionally, the OVW funding required an active working collaboration with the King County Superior Court, the regional domestic violence advocacy service, and representatives from multiple service arenas (CPS, mental health, batterers’ intervention, law enforcement, legal services, etc.) throughout the planning and implementation process.
The center opened in January 2005 (after 18 month of planning) and provides a safe and secure place for supervised visitation and exchanges between children with their non-custodial parent. The facility and all center policies and procedures were designed to increase safety for adult and child victims of domestic violence and decrease further opportunities for abuse.
Collaborative Partners
The City of Kent is honored to have the following organizations as partners in this project: