By: Lily McCormick

Owens House has a long and rich history serving the Shelby County community here in Alabama. The organization started as Shelby County Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in 1993 to partner with law enforcement and the Department of Human Resources to counter child abuse cases in the county. 

CACs are a type of organization that specializes in child abuse cases. They earn their certification through the National Children’s Alliance, and there are currently over 900 certified CACs across all 50 states. 

The advocacy center was placed “in a building rented for just $1 from the Shelby County Board of Education,” according to the Owens House website. In 1997, it was renamed “Owens House” in honor of  “District Attorney Owens, as he was instrumental in the development of the agency.”

Originally, the organization was supposed to hold forensic interviews where “the interviewer follows a national protocol, asking non-leading questions about the child’s experience.” But, their work has significantly expanded to offer various services. Owens House also hosts family advocacy services, trauma-informed counseling and extensive community education opportunities. 

With April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, Owens House is planning a large campaign to bring awareness to the month. Each year, they ask businesses in Shelby County to  “paint the town blue” by putting up blue ribbons and pinwheels in solidarity with Owens House. 

Hannah Fortin, a senior at the University of Montevallo, is doing her internship with Owens House and constantly feels inspired by their extensive work.

“I’ve always wanted to work with kids, and at first, I wanted to be a teacher,” Fortin said. But, she then discovered the field of social work and took a liking to the ability to work more “one-on-one with the children to help them deal with their trauma and their childhood,” she said. 

The Social Work Program at Montevallo has been a staple of the university for years. In 2016, the program celebrated its 90th year as an accredited program, the first of its kind in the state. However, many still do not know the wide scope of the profession.

“Social workers aren’t really known for what they do and a lot of people don’t believe in the true profession,” Fortin said. The U.S Bureau of Labor lists several different types of social work professions including those that work within family care, healthcare, schools and as substance abuse counselors. Owens House is an example of one of the many organizations and fields to utilize social workers. 

“I just think people don’t understand the behind-the-scenes of what we do,” Fortin said, “and people think we’re just case managers, but its a super broad field kind of like nursing.” 

Fortin is also a member of the women’s lacrosse team on campus and is constantly managing a tough schedule.“I wake up at 6:30 a.m. to get to work at 8 a.m. and then I’m there until 4 p.m. with practice after that, it can be a lot,” she said. But, she attributes her success to her support system and is continuing to make strides at work and on the field.

“My teammates are really supportive and it means a lot to me because they know the work I do can be hard, but I handle it well,” she said. 

Her coaches took their support a step further when Fortin brought up April being Child Abuse Prevention Month and the “paint the town blue” campaign. The three of them decided to ask the team to participate in the “SafeShelby Prevention Walk” at Veteran’s Park in Alabaster, Alabama. 

“It’s such an important cause to me and I’m really glad we could make this happen,” Fortin said. The Montevallo Women’s Lacrosse team will attend the walk on April 4, 2023, from 6-6:45 p.m. to raise awareness for the cause. The event is open to the public and anyone is encouraged to go. 

For more information, visit the SafeHouse of Shelby County Facebook page.