Our purpose is to build a healthy community by providing hope and healing to people impacted by family violence. Our mission is to weave together high quality, committed partners in a safe, collaborative center with the comprehensive resources to provide integrated services to people impacted by family violence and related child abuse and sexual assault.

The District Attorney's Office has begun the ground work to open Once Safe Place, a family justice center, in Pottawatomie County.  We have received a draft of the Strategic Plan from Alliance for Hope International, formerly known as the national Family Justice Center Alliance.  It is time now to continue the work set forth in the strategic plan and further the community's efforts to open our center for victims of abuse. In May of 2015 over 60 community stakeholders convened to formally engage in a strategic planning event designed to facilitate the successful launch and operation of a Family Justice Center. Stakeholders worked through key steps: Crafting a Vision; Articulating Values and Beliefs; Identifying Blocks and Barriers; and developing an implementation plan through work groups with clear Goals, Objectives, and Activities. The planning session concluded with pledges of support and commitment from all participants. Participants committed their time, attention, experience, and expertise to plan for the success of the Center and make the vision a reality for Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties.

The elected District Attorney, Richard Smothermon, and a host of other elected officials, community and business leaders, professionals working in the violence prevention field, and others have envisioned the creation of a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Family Justice Center community for a number of years.  The vision has been to co-locate most services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse under one roof in order to enable survivors and their children to come one place for most of their service needs.

Professionals working in the violence prevention field have envisioned the creation of a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Family Justice Center community for years.  The vision has been to co-locate most services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse under one roof in order to enable survivors and their children to come one place for their service needs. By providing one location (One Safe Place), staffed with cross trained professionals, through a collaborative approach we will be able to reduce secondary traumatic experiences for victims, increase victim cooperation, and provide an expert-investigatory approach to reports of violent crime within our community. One Safe Place Shawnee, prioritizing victim safety, holding offenders accountable, and breaking the generational cycle of abuse for our community.