Four Points, Inc.
Many families affected by domestic violence have a LaFayette nonprofit organization to thank for helping put the pieces back together.
Four Points Inc. this week marked 10 years of providing services for the “four points” of mother, father, family and child with an open house at its facility in LaFayette.
Four Points, funded in part by United Way, works with the Georgia Department Of Human Services and the court system to provide recuperative as well as preventative services for domestic abuse situations, said Melissa Gifford, the organization’s executive director.
One of the main services offered by Four Points is supervised visitation for families trying to reconnect after domestic trouble.
“People come here because their children are in foster care due to abuse or neglect allegations pending in superior court,” Gifford said, adding that there are often issues of drug or alcohol addiction where the court prohibits parents from seeing their children in an unsupervised setting.
“Our mission is to help maintain a bond while they are separated from their child, and hopefully work them toward unsupervised access, whether that be visitation or actual custody,” she said.
From left: Melissa Gifford, executive director for Four Points; Wendy Westbrook, supervised visitation director; Robert Hitchcox, board president; Kathy Richardson, supervised visitation director; and Ginger Payton, DVTF coordinator. (Messenger photo/Matt Ledger)
State Rep. Jay Neal of LaFayette is a pastor and supporter of the Four Points programs and attended Tuesday’s open house.
“Ideally, we wouldn’t have need for Four Points,” Neal said, “but the reality is that our society and its problems necessitate it, and in that light I’m thankful for the commitment of the staff here to the families of Northwest Georgia.”
But a program which essentially seeks to put children back in custody with a guardian that abused them is not without its critics.
Gifford admits there are those who think that neglectful parents should never have access to their children. “But the children think differently, they want to see their parents, and they’re still their parents regardless of any abuse or neglect.”
Given the nature of abusive situations, Gifford says there have been dangerous times, but she is confident in the support network of and access to local law enforcement. “We take measures to ensure that we know who is coming and going from the facility.”
One Success story
Another source of funding for Four Points is the Violence Against Women Act grant program, whereby the LaFayette facility has helped many victims of spousal abuse.
One person who greatly benefited from Four Points is former client Rachael Green, who nearly 10 years ago was in the process of getting out of an abusive relationship.
“Melissa helped me a lot, both with the legal aspects and self-esteem issues,” said Green, who at the time was the mother of two and pregnant with a third child.
She began volunteering as office help at the facility, which was in Rossville at the time, and says the program helped her move beyond the verbal abuse of a husband who said she would never amount to anything without him.
Green eventually got a divorce and was encouraged to work toward something that could bring her independence from an abusive ex-spouse and his child support payments.
She earned her nursing degree at Dalton State College and plans to get her master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner.
“I’m not sure what would’ve happened if it wasn’t for Melissa,” Green said. “She wrote letters for me to get nursing scholarships and has been so supportive.”
Four Points Inc. is a non-profit agency offering services associated with the legal system to families involved in change due to domestic violence. Photos and article compliments of the Walker County Messenger.
