CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor's Note: This story discusses domestic violence, which may include descriptions of violent acts. Reader discretion is advised.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for Charlotte's new Umbrella Center. Once constructed, the center will provide health care, legal services and other aid to victims of domestic assault, sexual assault, child abuse and other violence.
"People had to go to nine different locations, fill out 27 forms and tell their stories 27 times," Laura Lawrence, the president and CEO of Safe Alliance, said Wednesday. "When this center opens in two years, they'll come to one place and one navigator will meet with them.
The center will be in east Charlotte with 250 service providers from more than 15 different organizations.
"So this will change the trajectory for victims," Lawrence said.
In May, U.S. Reps. Jeff Jackson and Alma Adams were in Charlotte Friday celebrating a $2.5 million grant for the center's construction. Known as the Umbrella Center, this facility will be a place of refuge for domestic violence survivors and their children. Advocates have been seeking solutions for years to make the overwhelming and complicated resource system easier to navigate.
"We have fought long and hard for this day," domestic violence survivor Rashida Gittens said in May.
Advocates are fighting to get victims the help they need under one roof, saying having all those resources in one place will be a game changer.
"I avoided the courts because he told me that would be the place where he could kill me," Gittens said.
Now, these survivors are fighting for others.
"I will not stop using my voice to tell my story so other people know it's OK," Audra Toussant said at the time.
Their victory is the Umbrella Center, which will offer legal and medical assistance, plus job help and child services. The facility will also have counseling available for victims. It's possible thanks to a collaboration between Safe Alliance, Pat's Place and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, which responds to 40,000 calls a year for domestic violence.
"Sometimes women who need this help don't get it for various reasons," Adams said. "Sometimes they're afraid. It just didn't affect me as a mother, but also my children. They were very young."
A survivor herself, Adams is proud the center will help children heal, too.
"Having one navigator there to be your champion is going to be something that's going to change the way victims view getting help," Toussant said.
Safe Alliance's survivor resource center in Uptown serves about 40 people a month right now via referrals. Officials believe the future center will serve more than 10,000 people annually.
"There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Gittens said.
The Umbrella Center is set to open in the summer of 2026.
Previous reporting from Julia Kauffman contributed to this story. You can contact Julia at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
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