CATTARAUGUS COUNTY LEGISLATURE
Center to get funds for new home
OLEAN — A move to a permanent home might be a sign of success for a growing public service agency, but it’s been a mixed blessing for the Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center.
It has operated from a temporary suite of offices on the Olean General Hospital’s Main Street campus since September 2007, but recently the hospital gave the center 60 days to move so the University at Buffalo’s Gundlah Dental Clinic could expand.
Preparations were made to purchase a church in Olean for $131,000, using $100,000 in state aid, but state budget problems have dimmed hopes for the appropriation.
Prospects looked grim until Wednesday, when the Cattaraugus County Legislature came to the rescue by agreeing to provide $100,000 in capital funds. The money must be returned to the county if the state awards the funds before next April 1.
Jim Snyder, R-Olean, sponsored the funding legislation in the Human Services Committee he heads and is willing to spend money if it will help.
“I wish this was the way to stop [the abuse]. . . . It’s shocking to me to look at these numbers and these little kids,” Snyder said, pointing to the statistics naming hometowns of abused children.
In just 18 months, the center has helped more abused children than anticipated — 211 children under the age of 18 from 30 Cattaraugus County communities, and another 72 in need of medical care, in addition to children from neighboring Allegany County.
Authorities filed charges in 47 cases, getting 37 convictions for child sexual and physical abuse.
The most abuse cases are in the cities of Olean, at 64, and Salamanca, at 31, but 12 of the clients reside in Franklinville, another 12 in Hinsdale and 10 in Delevan. Seven reside in Cattaraugus, Portville and Machias; six in Allegany and Limestone.
The center’s offices are equipped with state of the art investigation and treatment tools which minimize the victim’s trauma in recounting the details of the experience and providing evidence.
Center Director Donna Kahm said the state Office of Child and Family Services supports the center and will not cut off other operating funds.
In other matters, legislators:
• Increased a $57,000 Contingent Fund contribution to $62,000 to pay service costs in extending James Freitag’s dates of county employment for retirement purposes.
• Approved a $42,000 loan to Harwood Haven, a campground in Farmersville, so it can provide electrical hookups for remote camping facilities, with portions of the loan to be forgiven based on the number of employees the campground hires in future years.
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