Center for Child Protection opens St. Johns Therapy Center in Northeast Austin

What you need to know

The Center for Child Protection is the area’s only nonprofit involved in the investigation and prosecution of crimes against children, said Michael Torres, CEO of the Center for Child Protection. Last year, the organization saw 856 children in Travis County who were undergoing interviews as victims of sexual or physical abuse or witnesses to violent crime, he said.

The new St. Johns Therapy Center creates therapeutic plans to help victims of trauma find healing, Torres said. The center works with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Dell Children’s Medical Center and more than a dozen local police departments.

“Forensic intervention is really just the beginning of the journey for those children,” Torres said. “Our goal is to end the generational cycle of abuse.”

The Center for Child Protection selected the St. John's neighborhood site because of its proximity to the families it serves, Torres said. The center is located near a CapMetro bus line that is expected to make transportation more convenient for families.

“We hope to make that therapeutic journey for them that much easier by being here close to where they actually live,” Torres said.

What they’re saying

The new center may help eliminate logistical roadblocks that prevent families from receiving therapy for their children, Vela said. Commonly faced barriers include high costs, long working hours, far distances to care and limited transportation, said Vela, a former criminal defense and immigration attorney who worked with child abuse victims.

“For me personally, seeing these services available right here in the St. Johns area is especially meaningful,” Vela said. “Families in this community deserve access to care that makes a real difference in their children's lives.”

• Opened April 8
• 1033 La Posada Drive, Ste. 200, Austin
• www.centerforchildprotection.org