Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) approved the lease agreement at their meeting Monday night, which allows the non-profit corporation to build its center on city-owned land on McMahan Avenue.

A child advocacy center would allow abused children to get into counseling quickly and comfortably in a child-friendly atmosphere, according to the Safe Harbor Executive Director, Donna J. Koester. Medical examinations could be performed at the center as well as extensive interviews, she said.

“Safe Harbor serves as a central hub for all of the investigative and post-trauma counseling processes for child-victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse and/or severe neglect,” according to the Safe Harbor website.

The non-profit group serves the Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier Judicial District