Holly’s House, a local child and adult victim advocacy center, will celebrate their Tenth Anniversary in September, 2018.
In 2005, Evansville Police Detective, Brian Turpin, began planning for a child advocacy center to serve victims of child abuse. His goal was to develop a safe, confidential, and welcoming location for children to participate in the forensic interviews related to allegations of abuse. With the partnership of Holly Dunn Pendleton, Holly’s House mission was developed to serve both children and adult victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Between 2005-2008, Holly’s House was successfully incorporated and raised significant support to renovate their current building. The agency opened on September 2, 2008, with one full-time staff member and one volunteer. During the first four months of operation, 31 Vanderburgh County victims received services.
Over the first two years, the agency realized that most of the children being interviewed were between the ages of six and twelve, leading the staff to investigate child abuse prevention programs for this age group. Holly’s House started teaching the “Think First & Stay Safe†program in some Vanderburgh County elementary schools in 2010.
Today, Holly’s House has grown to serve victims in eleven southwest Indiana counties while the “Think First & Stay Safe†program is offered in five counties. The agency has six full-time and four part-time employees. On an annual basis, Holly’s House provides support for an average of 360 survivors of child abuse or other intimate crimes. The prevention educators are scheduled to teach over 10,000 students in five counties the “Think First & Stay Safe†child abuse prevention program. All of the agency’s services are support through generous donations and grants. There is no cost to the clients served or the schools participating in the prevention program.
During the past ten years, Holly’s House has gained Associate Status from the National Children’s Alliance and collaborated with the Evansville Police Department to host the Internet Crimes against Children investigation program, which is also affiliated with the FBI Internet Crimes Task Force and the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. The Evansville Police Department’s Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence detectives are housed at Holly’s House.
Holly’s House service model utilizes a multi-disciplinary team that consists of law enforcement (local, regional, state and federal), the Indiana Department of Child Services, and county prosecutors, to investigate these crimes. The primary goal of this service model is to minimize the additional emotional trauma that victims experience during the investigation process. Holly’s House also works with the Albion Fellows Bacon Center, the Lampion Center and area medical and mental health providers to ensure survivors receive supportive services as they heal both physically and emotionally.
The success of Holly’s House has been made possible by the leadership of the Board of Directors, the commitment of community leaders, and the support of countless individuals and local organizations.
For more information, please visit www.hollyshouse.org.
