Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, a vital organization in protecting children, has lost 50% of the federal funding that it needs to operate. The organization is now looking for ways to cover that shortfall, and one way will be a fundraising piano recital by renowned Columbia pianist Phillip Fortenberry.
The weekend of Nov. 12-14, Fortenberry will perform a show called “Keys for a Cause” at the Columbia Presbyterian Church. The times each day will be announced at a later date.
The federal funding that gets earmarked for Kids Hub is directly affected by the fees collected during the prosecution of child abuse cases. There was a steep decline because of the nationwide shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the 50% decrease that went into effect Oct. 1. Advocacy groups like Kids Hub are now scrambling to make up the shortfall to provide the essential services they provide.
Kids Hub Mississippi Executive Director Didi Ellis said they have reached out to Gov. Tate Reeves in hopes of receiving funds through the Covid relief money from the CARES Act.
Kids Hub Advocacy works directly with law enforcement and Child Protection Services. When a report of child abuse is received, either sexual or physical, the group is called in to assist. Kids Hub conducts a forensic interview, which is used to assess the child’s experiences. The goal of the interview is to obtain a statement from the child about any and all adversities the child has faced. From there, Kids Hub’s licensed psychologists and counselors determine the best way to help the child victim.
They also have family services to assist the caregivers to make sure the child’s environment is stable and they have the appropriate services available to help them get through the situation with as little impact as possible.
There are also facilitators for the counties to ensure that all children and cases in their system are getting attention and that no child or case falls through the cracks. The team members are consistently providing services to lessen the trauma to the child, keeping the child at the forefront of the situation.
Ellis with Kids Hub Mississippi said the group was established in 2015 and opened its satellite office in Columbia a little over a year ago.
“It has been an integral part of making sure that we have been able to offer easily accessible services to the kids and families of Marion, Lawrence and Jeff Davis counties,” Ellis said.
The satellite office keeps families from having to travel all the way to Hattiesburg for the services. The further away an office is, the less likely a family is willing to travel to receive the services needed for the family, Ellis said.
She added there has been a drastic increase in Marion County families completing the services now with having a Columbia’s office.
Now that everything has opened back up, the cases are increasing again with more abuse being reported. There has been an increase in more egregious physical abuse than usual, but the largest number cases were still sexual abuse cases, which make up the vast majority of cases.
To make the issue even more dire, Ellis said there has also been a nearly 25% increase in cases they are assisting children and families with.
“We have to make hard decisions,” Ellis said while sitting in the Columbia office Monday morning.
One way they are having to deal with the budget cuts is not being able to fill current vacancies. She said they have two job openings that can no longer be filled because of the cuts, which creates more work for each of the employees with less money to handle the caseload.
Ellis said it is important for the local community to know that Kids Hub is doing everything it can to maintain the current services being offered to the community.
The goal of the fundraiser is to help the program be able to provide the much needed services in the area. Ellis said they are hoping to solicit corporate and patron sponsors for the “Keys for a Cause” event. She is hoping the community will really connect with the advocacy group through the event.
“It’s hard times. We have to work to secure additional funding because we have to secure the funding to fill the two vacant positions. We can’t sustain an increase workload with a decreased work staff. It’s impossible,” Ellis said.
For more information about the Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center or Keys for a Cause event, call Ellis at (601) 909-6294 or email didi.ellis@kidshubms.com.
