Serving the community
Advocacy Center open house Monday
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HOUGHTON -- Copper Shores is inviting the community to come to their Child Advocacy Center for two sessions at 8:30-10 a.m. and 4:30-6 p.m., Monday in its office at Portage Plaza. Residents can meet staff members behind its Victim Support services and learn more about the scope of services offered.
Anyone who has experienced suicide loss, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, human trafficking and more can access 24/7/365 services through Copper Shores. Four-county Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and Victim Advocate Ayla LaRoe said this is a good opportunity for people to find out more about these kinds of services at Copper Shores.
"Because we have such limited hours for people to actually experience the center and understand what goes on inside, due to the nature of their work, needing to maintain privacy and confidentiality," she said. "We want people to get a peek inside. That way, they can know what to expect if they were have to come here or if they were to recommend people to come to us."
LaRoe said the center is generally open from 8 a.m. thru 4 p.m., but it is by appointment only. The work the center does, is multi-faceted in its scope. "One of the main goals, too, is to connect these different agencies and institutions, whether its educational, clergy, businesses, other nonprofits," she said. "That way, we can understand our core responsibility of the collective action to minimize and ideally eradicate child abuse and sexual abuse."
Inside the Child Advocacy Center, there are victim support services and forensic interview rooms, where Copper Shores's team collects evidence and advocates for victims. Crisis support services are also offered at the center.
For more information about the Child Advocate Center at Copper Shores, visit coppershores.org/child-advocacy-center. The center is located at Portage Plaza near Festival Foods at Unit 5, 47431 State Highway M26 in Houghton.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual crime or abuse, Copper Shores offers a 24/7 support line: 906-482-5797.