FORT SMITH -- The Hamilton House Child Safety Center recently changed its name to Hamilton Center For Child Advocacy to better reflect the services provided and new and expanded offerings, center officials said in a press release Thursday.
The center was established in 2011 and manages about 1,000 cases annually, providing free services to victims of child physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect in Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott and Sebastian counties.
Director Laurie Burnett said the name change helps clarify the center isn't a shelter.
"There are a lot of other agencies in our community that also have 'house' in their name, so we decided to remove the word," she said.
Board chairman Hobe Runion said the center is a grant- and donation-based nonprofit, and the new name helps clarify for funding, as well.
The center has undergone several other changes this year, including hiring Burnett after the center's namesake, Jackie Hamilton, retired in December. Runion noted Burnett worked as an interviewer and advocate at the center several years ago, allowing her to bring her prior experience to the current position.
"For the older board members, we remembered her and thought 'what a fit' because she understood what the job was; she understood the mission of the center, so it was a fairly seamless transition," he said.
The center also partnered with the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center to expand its workspace within the Mercy Tower Building and provide in-house therapy.
"We now have a mental health professional on-site here, which will allow us to provide greater holistic services to the children and their nonoffending families who come here for assistance," Burnett said. "This is important, because we previously had to refer children and families to outside therapists for assistance. Unfortunately, they would often not follow through with visits, which hinders the healing process."