By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – Canadian County’s domestic violence center has been awarded a $492,576 federal grant that offers some financial sustainability.
These grant funds, through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, will be accepted over four years to support operations at the Cardinal Point family justice center.
The grant program is titled “Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking.”
Cardinal Point Director Kristie Chandler applied for this grant last winter. The federal award notification came just last week.
This large grant award will allow Cardinal Point “to move ahead with continuing our objectives and activities for growing the family justice center,” Chandler told Canadian County Commissioners at their weekly meeting Oct. 4.
No matching funds are required, she added.
Cardinal Point, Oklahoma’s fourth family justice center, occupies a 5,000 square foot space inside the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center (CCJC) at 7905 E Highway 66.
Cardinal Point provides a welcoming, safe place where adult and youth domestic violence and sexual assault victims can go when they are hurting.
Canadian County’s center serves survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and child abuse.
Cardinal Point staff partners with agencies like Intervention and Crisis Advocacy Network (ICAN), Canadian County Sheriff’s Office, Legal Aid, and the District Attorney’s Office.
SOLIDIFY THE FINANCIAL FUTURE
The recent $492,576 grant award “really means a lot to solidify Cardinal Point’s financial future,” District 2 County Commissioner Dave Anderson said.
“It won’t pay all the bills, but it is good to see the trust that we created seeking and obtaining financing outside this county government,” said Anderson, a board member on the Cardinal Point trust.
District 1 County Commissioner Marc Hader added he was “delighted”, noting this Office of Violence Against Women grant will “help sustain” Cardinal Point “for the future.”
Canadian County Commission Chairman Jack Stewart believes this was “fantastic” news.
“Great job on getting that grant,” Stewart told Chandler.
This grant and other funding sources will support the domestic violence center’s second operating year that started Oct. 1.
An inaugural community luncheon to raise funds for Cardinal Point’s operations was Oct. 5 at the Canadian County Expo & Event Center.
For its first operating year, Cardinal Point was funded with a $144,195 Canadian County budget allocation and a $213,229 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant.
Anyone interested in supporting the effort should contact Chandler at (405) 776-0992 or Kristie@cardinalpointok.org.
