Liberty House earns national accreditation; officials highlight services, prevention programs and funding needs

At a Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 16, Liberty House officials said the children's advocacy center has received national accreditation and outlined services, prevention work and financial risks.

Liberty House Assistant Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Marion County Multidisciplinary Team coordinator Cameron Wolfer told commissioners the center provides forensic interviews, medical exams, family support and follow-up mental health services for children who are alleged victims of abuse. "Our model ... decreases the number of times children have to describe what they've experienced," Wolfer said.

The center serves Marion and Polk counties and, Wolfer said, referenced Oregon Department of Human Services hotline data showing about 10,500 calls in the region as one measure of the problem. He described how Liberty House’s model brings law enforcement, child-protective services, medical providers and prosecutors together so children can be examined and interviewed in a single, trauma-informed setting.

Liberty House Chief Executive Officer Lisonbee Kelly said site reviewers from the National Children’s Alliance found Liberty House to be among the top centers they have reviewed and confirmed the center met national standards. Kelly said the accreditation is the first for the organization since it began serving Polk County in 1999 and credited the Polk County District Attorney’s Office and other local partners for assisting with multidisciplinary coordination.

The presentation included summary data about Liberty House’s Polk County services. Wolfer said Polk County referrals handled by Liberty House have increased to about 250 children a year from a previously lower baseline of roughly 100 per year, and he said Liberty House has expanded in-office medical appointments while aiming to reduce the number of out-of-clinic consult reviews. Wolfer cautioned that those figures reflect referrals and reported cases, not the true prevalence of abuse.

Kelly described Liberty House’s prevention curriculum and resources, including an online resource called IRespectAndProtect.com and a school curriculum titled My Worth that was piloted with sixth-grade classes in Marion and Polk counties. Kelly said phase 2 of the curriculum evaluation and scaling effort would require additional funding and a prospectus before Liberty House expands delivery.

On funding, Kelly said Liberty House’s total budget is about $7.1 million and that roughly 17% of funding is public. She said a substantial portion of client services is billed to Medicaid or the region’s coordinated care organization, and that private donors and fundraisers make up a substantial share of support. "If there were to be any interruption in that funding for any reason, that could place all of our programs at very high risk," she said, and she asked the board and community to support upcoming fundraising events.

Commissioners asked about per-capita rates and data trends; Wolfer said the center’s data come from reported referrals and that Liberty House staff are able to look at per-capita breakdowns upon request. He said some year-to-year variation reflects factors such as pandemic-era changes to health care access and reporting.

The presentation closed with a framed accreditation item presented to representatives from the district attorney’s office and local partners. A representative from the Polk County District Attorney’s Office accepted the recognition on behalf of the office and thanked county partners for support of Liberty House services.

Liberty House provided printed prevention-material schedules for April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month and invited commissioners and the public to its May 8 fundraiser.

Polk County commissioners did not take a formal vote on operational changes related to Liberty House during the meeting; the presentation was an informational update and recognition.