They have provided their services in cramped offices no bigger than the length of a sofa. Currently, they work out of a borrowed office at the Dothan Police Department.
But if renovations continue on schedule, Alabama’s first official Wiregrass Angel House will be unveiled – a 2,300-square-foot home that leaders say will allow the organization to serve the needs of crime victims better.
Renovations began last week at the house located on Bell Street. Shelly Linderman, director of the local chapter of Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL) and the Wiregrass Angel House, said she hopes to be serving crime victims at the house by April to coincide with National Crime Victim’s Week.
“We just want a place where victims of crime and their families who are in court can come to unwind,” Linderman said.
Linderman said the home will allow crime victims and families who come to court from out of town to stay at the house rent free. The house is within walking distance from the Houston County Courthouse, making it convenient for children to be kept there if necessary.
Wiregrass Angel House also provides counseling services for children who have witnessed traumatic events.
Alabama Attorney General Troy King, who has supported VOCAL, said the house will be invaluable to victims.
“I don't think there is a way to overstate how important it is that — when people are probably at the most tumultuous time of their life — there is a refuge,” King said.
The Bell Street house was donated to Angel House by the Flowers family. Angel House continues to raise funds for the renovations. A four-person scramble golf tournament is scheduled for April 3 at Highland Oaks. Proceeds will go toward the renovations. To enter or for more information, contact Linderman at 702-7010.
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