The center is on Main Street in Woodland, sandwiched between Young's Discount Store and Freeman Park. When I arrived there, I first had to get buzzed through a constantly-locked front door. Mary Jane Lowery, the center's volunteer coordinator who took me on a tour of the facility, said the staff can't risk letting someone into the facility who may be looking for a spouse in refuge. The center is two stories tall with bright corridors and a fully equipped playroom for the kids. This is the organization's ground zero.
Women come here for help through counseling, referrals, warmth and community.
It turned out that the center also counsels the offenders. Even though some of them may be in counseling thanks to a court order, they're still getting help. The offenders enter through a back entrance to keep them away from the assaulted and abused in the front. Mary Jane and I walked down a hallway that led to the room where offenders receive counseling. There was a group in session.