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• Things
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Legal Action
School The law requires children who are of school age, be enrolled in school and attend regularly. You will need to see that your children are enrolled in our local schools and arrange for them to ride the appropriate bus. If they do not normally attend the Rocky Mount schools and you intend to seek your spouse’s removal from your home, you may not need to transfer the children if your arrangements are made quickly. However, you may need to notify the child’s principal of your difficulty and explain why the child may be out of school for a few days. Until matters of custody are settled you can notify the schools the children are not to be taken from school by others. Transportation If you do not have a car of your own, the shelter volunteers or a Staff member may be able to help. Social Services can offer limited transportation for specific needs. However, you must realize there are limits to what others can do for you and be looking for other ways of getting around, If you have a friend who might transport you, you may wish to contact them. However, to keep your location safe, you may wish to meet them somewhere away from the shelter. Clothing and Other Items You do have the right to go back to the home to get items you may need but left behind in your hurry to get out. You may wish to take a friend with you. The Sheriffs Department and other agencies do not have the right to do this for you and do not have staff to go with you. Some items you may need besides clothing are: Marriage certificate, Birth certificates, your bank account books, social security cards, bank statements, insurance policies and something to prove residence in the County such as a utility bill. Income If you have no job or no other source of income, (child support, social security, SSI) you can apply for TANF for the children, at the Department of Social Services. You must call and schedule an appointment. If you have a job, you need to take steps to keep it. Family and friends may be able to help with childcare or transportation. If you need to find a baby-sitter you will have access to the local newspaper. Housing If you choose not to seek removal of your spouse or significant other from the home, you should seek housing immediately. Applications take time to process. Candlewood, Mountain View and South Garden Apartments are low income, subsidized apartments. Other apartment resources can be sought through the Franklin News Post and realtors. Emotional Support System You may find yourself overwhelmed during this difficult time. There are agencies and people interested in helping. You may consider counseling to help you work through your many feelings. You may simply need someone to listen to you for a while. You may need information on other resources available to you. These local places to call are listed in the Community Resource Directory in our office or in a handout we will be happy to give you at your request. If you have local family and friends who are supportive, you may want to keep contact open with them. They can be very comforting and understanding. You have many difficult decisions to make. While others can listen to you and let you know your options, the decision for your future plans rests with you. No one else can make these decisions for you. All we can do is supply you with information you need to make a knowledgeable decision. You, better than anyone, know what is best for yourself and your children. You know what you want for your future and theirs. The Role of the Family Resource Center The Family
Resource Center has been developed to provide a temporary, safe refuge or
sanctuary for those individuals and families living primarily in Franklin
County who have been victims of spousal assault and abuse, or who have
experienced and been subjected to family violence within their
environment. The Family Resource Center allows the victim of family
violence to reside in a clean, private shelter while they plan other
arrangements required to secure a more permanent home or living situation.
The Director of the Family Resource Center is Cynthia Treadway. Other
staff include: Katrina Hancock, Angela Phillips,
Sandra Craig-Trotter and Bianca Hariston. One or more
staff members will be in the offices Monday - Friday between 6:30am and
Midnight. If for some reason, you are unable to reach a staff member by
calling the offices at 483-5088, one can be reached by calling the
Sheriff’s Department at 483-3000 and have the shelter on-call worker paged
or call our Domestic Violence Hotline at 483-1234. |
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Franklin County Family
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