Advocacy Center brings safety, healing and justice to McKinney and beyond

Twenty years after serving all of Collin County from Plano, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County is expanding its services to the north with a satellite office due to open next month.

Located at 1500 S. Central Expy. near Eldorado Parkway, CAC North will provide services to the communities of McKinney, Prosper, Frisco, Princeton, Anna, Blue Ridge and Farmersville. The office will reflect the same coordinated intervention offered at the CACs Plano office, complete with Child Protective Services, four McKinney police officers, therapists and a new forensic interviewer.

Through this new facility, the CAC will be able to ensure that children and families victimized by abuse are not without services due to geographic limitations, CEO Lynne McLean said.

“I started as CEO here in May 2009 and even far back as then there’s always been a dream to have another location in northern Collin County, and in 2010 we decided it was something we needed to do,” she said. “However given the economy at the time, we were a little nervous about taking it on so we had to put it on the back burner.”

Last year produced better opportunities, as the advocacy center paid off the 55,000-square-foot building at its Plano location off Los Rios Boulevard. A task force was formed to further examine the need and gather data pertaining to population and other growth projections in order to determine the best location.

Working with local law enforcement, the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Collin County CPS, and medical and therapeutic providers, the CAC helps families find safety, support and resources in the aftermath of trauma. Collin County has experienced explosive growth over the last decade, as the child population alone has increased by 40 percent, according to the center.

Nearly 40,000 children have received services through the CAC since its founding in 1992, which boasts a 96 percent conviction rate. Offering services to 100 percent of children identified as victims of abuse in Collin County, the CAC is a child-friendly environment with no waiting lists and is free of charge.

Staff considered roughly 25 different spots for the north office last summer and chose the spot along the U.S. 75 corridor for its accessibility. For now, the center will lease the 7,000 square-foot building for several years, over which time staff will be able to further assess the needs for the communities it serves, McLean said.

“Until we get there, it’s hard to know exactly what we need,” she said. “The leased space allows us to get our systems working and to establish how much space and staff we really need in order to meet the needs.”

The advocacy center is offering the public another opportunity to show their support for the new facility with various sponsorships in the form of Plexiglass squares, which will be placed on the wall of the northern office. Running anywhere in price from $100 to $3,500, the purchase also includes recognition on the CAC website and its annual report. Supporters can also show their support by purchasing various rooms throughout the facility through the Square Foot Society.

Finishing touches are currently being done to the facility, including securing the building and soundproofing and installing the recording equipment for the forensic interview rooms. If all goes well, McLean said, they will be able to open their doors within the next several weeks.

“Our staff is so passionately committed, they wanted to take on this mission and do whatever it takes,” she said. “It’s important to us that the clients coming to this facility have the same wonderful experience as the clients that come to our Los Rios facility. These children are so brave to trust us with their stories [and our staff is] using any time they have to make this special for the kids. Their commitment is just never ending.”

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