Aiken County Victim Support Groups Receive State Assistance

COLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced that victim support groups statewide are expected to receive $ 32 million in grants.

“These grants will go to people who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and various other crimes,” Wilson said.

Wilson also said giving back to organizations that help survivors is one of his favorite things to do.

Nikeisha Martin is one such survivor, having been involved in several abusive relationships.

The mother of eight has struggled for nearly a decade to get away from her abusers.

“Finally, I had to flee to a shelter by the hand of a good friend who found me a refuge locally, from that point on I moved to New Beginnings, I was one of the first residents of this refuge, ”said Martin.

Several stays at the New Beginnings Transitional Shelter in Bennettsville have helped change Martin’s life. She is working on it now, using her own experience to help other survivors.

“You don’t see what can happen next, so trust God, trust God, and let him open those doors. But he needs you to be willing to open those doors and the sky is the limit, ”she said.

Here is a look at some of the organizations in the region that will receive money through the grants:

Aiken County: $ 912,309

• Aiken County Children’s Advocacy Center: A project will continue to fund forensic interviews and advocacy services for victims of abuse and their non-abusive family / caregivers. Another project will continue to increase the agency’s capacity to conduct needs assessments and follow-up / case management with child victims and their caregivers.
• Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons: A project will continue to fund its victim advocacy and counseling program.
• Helping Hands Inc .: A project will continue to provide direct advocacy and therapy services to abused children who have been / are residents of Helping Hands.

Orangeburg County: $ 285,570

• Prosecutor’s Office of the First Judicial Circuit: A project will continue to provide additional assistance to victims of general session cases, victims of magistrates in domestic violence and victims of juvenile cases.
• CASA / Family Systems: A project will continue to improve the capacity of the Edisto Children’s Center under CASA which provides services to children 17 and under who have been victims of sexual or physical abuse, neglect, violence domestic or endangered drug. Another project will continue to help CASA Family Systems by expanding services and programs to underserved communities in Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.

Based on WRDW / WAGT and WMBF reports