Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke says the area’s oldest nonprofit organization that protects vulnerable women is not getting a spot in the city’s new Family Justice Center because it wanted cash to be there.
The city is billing the $3 million center as a “one-stop shop” for victims of abuse, although the center will be open only during the day and will not be able to offer domestic violence victims a place to sleep. Berke has not included money in his newly released budget that would allow the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults to staff and operate a shelter in the center.
Family Justice Center partners
These are the agencies that will be housed at the city’s new Family Justice Center. * The Children’s Advocacy Center * Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office * Legal Aid of East Tennessee * McKamey Animal Center * Helen Ross McNabb Center * Southern Adventist University * Second Life Chattanooga * Chattanooga Police Department * Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office * Adult Protective Services * Building Stronger Lives
Sandra Hollett, executive director of the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, has assisted in the Neediest Cases fund for many years.In February, the city cited safety concerns as a reason to exclude the Partnership and its shelter, which has helped the area’s vulnerable women since the Civil War.
But during a Wednesday editorial board meeting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Berke offered a different reason.