Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534028
April/May 2025 | maconmagazine.com 45 S a r a h S c h a n c k complex system. Most of the services that you need or want are all in one spot. It could be a place that you continue to come back to, whether you're in crisis or whatever it takes for what that sustainable future looks like for you. We are supporting our community members when they're feeling vulnerable. What is a hero to you? To me, a hero would be somebody who sees a need, and if they have a power or the ability to make a difference on that need, who takes the action to do that. I think if you have that ability and you have that drive, then it's easy to say, "Yes, I'll help my community. I'll help the people around me." I think heroes can be anybody who does that in small or large ways. Why is what you're doing with one Safe Place particularly important for women? Of course, I know people of all gender identities benefit from these services. But why is this facility an important goal for women and children? Like you said, people from all gender identities experience intimate partner H E R O E S A M O N G U S H S h e 's b r e a k i n g n e w g r o u n d a t O n e S a fe P l a c e , M a c o n's f i r s t fa m i l y j u s t i c e c e n te r. I NTE RVI EW BY J U L IA M O R R I S O N | P H OTO BY MAT T O D O M For someone who is not in the know or maybe doesn't understand what it's like to receive victim services, why does it help to get everything in one place? What does that do, and why is that different than services we have now? We have really great services already in Macon, but everything is really decentralized, so it takes a lot of effort on the part of the person seeking help to figure out how to enter that system of care. They need to know how to get help, where to go first, where to go next. It can take a lot of time if transportation or childcare are issues. That's a major barrier, too, and we're asking where to move on it, and making sure we're downtown in a connected place. We'wre asking our community members who have already experienced a lot of trauma to navigate all these complex systems in that traumatic state, which can be really, really rough. Even that barrier for people getting help can get get someone frustrated, or so overwhelmed that they go back to whatever the unsafe situation is. Bringing it all under one roof means you just have to walk through one door, and you've got support in navigating that ow many of us can say we are truly breaking new ground? If you're Sarah Schanck, that's true in more ways than one. She's the director of One Safe Place, the planned family justice center in Macon with Crisis Line and Safe House of Central Georgia. Her role is organizing the development and opening of the center, which is one of the first three in the state of Georgia. This is a gamechanger for bringing victims to a place of safety, stability, and strength: "We are bringing all of the resources and services that serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and elder independent adult abuse all under one roof, with centralized intake and navigation to eliminate barriers. This makes it easier for those who've experienced trauma and victimization in our community to get the help that they need," she said. This daunting and critical effort is also bringing the old Virgil Powers school building back to life, a historic structure on Hawthorne Street where the outlines of the old blackboard are still visible. Between the construction and fundraising efforts, Schanck spoke to MM during a hard hat tour.