Miami-Dade opens new domestic violence prevention center
From David Volz
Miami Dade County, Community Action and Human Services Department’s (CAHSD) Violence Prevention and Intervention Division opened the doors of a new state-of-the-art Safespace Empowerment Center – a domestic violence certified center.
“The grand opening of the Safespace Empowerment Center is very timely, as we address the needs of individuals and families experiencing violence at home,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “This center will offer life-saving services and support to families during some of the most difficult moments of their life. We encourage anyone to reach out if they are fearful or in harm’s way”
In 2019, 105,298 crimes of domestic violence were reported to Florida law enforcement agencies, resulting in 66,069 arrests. During fiscal year 2019-20, Florida’s certified domestic violence centers provided 563,721 nights of emergency shelter to 13,250 survivors of domestic violence and their children. Advocates created 153,757 tailored safety plans, provided a total of 233,602 hours of advocacy and counseling services, and received 73,817 domestic violence hotline calls from individuals seeking emergency services, information, and safety planning assistance.
The opening of the Safespace Empowerment Center adds 60 emergency shelter beds for victims of domestic violence in Miami Dade County. “These extra beds will make a big difference to victims in Miami Dade County and will provide a home to hundreds of families every year,” said District 8 Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins.
The Empowerment Center will provide services to victims, including emergency shelter, case management, counseling, legal services, court accompaniment, safety planning, relocation assistance, victims’ compensation claims, among others. “Staff will be available to assist survivors of domestic violence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All services will be free and confidential,” Sonia Grice, Director of the Community Action and Human Services Department.
