Help and Hope: Umbrella Center Will Transform Support for Abuse Survivors
After the shouting.
After the crying.
After the bruising—emotional and perhaps physical.
Amid questions from family and friends.
Asking for help is not easy.
That's why Mecklenburg County and partners such as Safe Alliance are reimagining support for survivors of interpersonal abuse and violence.
An Umbrella of Help
It's called the Umbrella Center, and development is underway after Mecklenburg County's acquisition of the site in east Charlotte. Once complete, the Umbrella Center will be a public/private facility with services housed under one roof—an "umbrella" helping survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking, child maltreatment, elder abuse, and more.
Such a concept is known as a Family Justice Center model of services, bringing together a wide variety of partners for intentional and transformative collaboration. In 2021, Mecklenburg County opened the small-scale Survivor Resource Center as a stepping-stone to the Umbrella Center.
Voices of Survivors
"The Umbrella Center will center the needs and voices of survivors like never before," says Elyse Hamilton-Childres, director of the Prevention and Intervention division of Mecklenburg County Community Support Services. "Now that a location for The Umbrella Center has been confirmed, concrete designs and plans will follow. Local survivors will continue to influence the creation of the center, from naming the guiding values and principles they want to feel in the space, to inspiring the physical design, to shaping the menu of resources and services they want the space to house."
In August 2022, Mecklenburg County approved $10 million in funding for the Umbrella Center, followed by the City of Charlotte's appropriation of an additional $5 million. That money was used in part to buy the location on Albemarle Road, a site intended to be convenient for clients and partners near Center City, interstates and highways, bus lines, and the future Silver Line light rail.
A Result of Relationships
The Umbrella Center is the result of hard work over many years by many partners. Safe Alliance serves as the administrative lead and is working with nonprofit partners Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center and the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage to raise private funds for the center. Plus, Atrium Health has committed to providing medical support for adults and children, a vital component to support survivors of abuse. Atrium has developed a human trafficking unit within the hospital and will be involved in the Umbrella Center's anti-human trafficking work. Other partners will also have a role, including Aldersgate, Alliance Health, N.C. Courts, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office, Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, and the police departments of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville.
"The Umbrella Center will be life-changing for abuse survivors," says Karen Parker, chair of the Family Justice Center Steering Committee. "Many organizations offer excellent services, but the services are geographically disjointed. This new collaboration provides the systems change that survivors want and need—a multitude of services and support under one roof."
After design and renovation of the space, opening is anticipated in 2025. Safe Alliance and other programming partners will handle day-to-day operations. The Survivor Resource Center, precursor to the Umbrella Center, has seen more than 2700 high-risk victims since opening. The Umbrella Center will expand its capacity ten-fold and offer walk-in services for anyone who needs help. The partnership is also exploring the potential of housing resources for survivors.
"The Umbrella Center has been at least seven years in the making," says Hamilton-Childres. "The moment of making it real is finally here."
Love Should Not Hurt
Help is available 24/7. Call 980-771-HOPE (4673).