Caring for the Whole Person in Times of Crisis

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

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Trapped. Alone. That’s how many people are feeling when they reach out to the Fannin County Family Crisis Center.

One of those clients was Lucy. Physical and emotional abuse left her in turmoil, and she felt she had nowhere to go and no support to leave her abuser.

But at the Crisis Center, she discovered they had the resources she needed. Her advocate walked with her every step as she found her way out of the abuse and into a new life.

Lucy is now working toward becoming a counselor in her church. She wants everyone to know that if they are having a hard time with their partner, there is always someone who can help them at the Crisis Center.

Started in the 1980s, the Fannin County Family Crisis Center has evolved to serve as an invaluable resource by meeting people where they are and working to move their lives in a new direction.

The staff at the Crisis Center guides their clients through the exact steps they need to take when leaving an abusive relationship. The staff answers the question of how to get the person—and their children—to safety. Sometimes that means placing them in a hotel until their abuser is arrested, or finding a safe shelter in another part of the state.

Once clients are safe, the staff helps them determine how they can pick up the pieces of their lives and find hope again.

Funding from the Texoma Health Foundation supports the Fannin County Family Crisis Center’s staff who do the hard work of getting their clients to those safe places and stabilized. Some of the funds occasionally pay a utility bill or offset other costs so the client doesn’t get trapped into returning or staying with their abuser for financial support.

“A lot of people will stay because they convince themselves that maybe it's not that bad,” says Amanda McDonald, executive director of the Crisis Center. “We try to get them to a place where they don't have to do that.”

The Crisis Center also has a SART—Sexual Assault Response Team. Whether it's therapy for a past assault or someone to accompany the client as they go through the legal process of pressing charges, the team works with law enforcement and the DA’s office to get the client through it. The advocates go with their clients on court dates and make sure they understand what's going on.

The Crisis Center also offers several community-based programs, from a food pantry and parenting classes to financial and budgeting classes for people to learn how to manage their finances.

“It's the crisis, but it's not just the crisis,” Amanda says. “It's taking care of the whole person and taking care of the family. That’s what our amazing staff does. They envelop our clients in the love and care they need in times of crisis.”