A new bus will help more local children during a very tough time.
The Northern Michigan Mobile Child Advocacy Center in Harrison does forensic interviews with kids who have been sexually or physically abused.
They just picked up a bus to travel to families.
This will let them help more families in places that might be too far from their office in Harrison.
The bus is going to help the Northern Michigan Mobile Child Advocacy Center help more kids who’ve gone through sexual and physical abuse, by traveling to them.
“The bus will offer forensic interviewing which is what I will be doing in there, but we have a family advocate in the area of the bus where they sit with the family and discusses services that are available to family in their own community,” says Katy Sherwood, forensic interview specialist.
The center has an office in Harrison, but sometimes it’s hard for people outside of Clare County to travel to them. Now, the bus can meet families in a neutral location close to their home.
“They have been through a traumatic experience in their life. Having it come to them, it’s less of a burden on the family. Sometimes they can’t afford to come to that location, so it’s going to open up services to children that never really had it before and then also if you’re on a two, three hour car ride, you have anxiety,” says Sherwood.
The bus features a friendly style with bright colors and comfortable feeling, all to reassure families this is a safe place to talk.
“Having a home feel is extremely important for the child. We want to make the kids feel welcome, make the kids feel at home, make them feel like it’s their space,” says Sherwood.
The bus will start rolling at the beginning of the New Year.
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