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Belmont County Supports Harmony House Program

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Board of Commissioners allocated $20,000 from the general fund Wednesday to the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services to be used in funding the Harmony House program.

“Harmony House is so grateful for this opportunity to come before you,” said Leslie Vassilaros, Harmony House director. “We have celebrated our fifth year anniversary in June. After five years I can truly say with the Belmont County Commissioners and Belmont County Board of Developmental Disabilities, it has been really an easy transition from the West Virginia side to the Ohio side to give these services. Belmont County seemed ready for us. They seemed to really understand the value that we bring to certain children and families of abuse in the area.”

She described the goals of the program.

“Our goal is to make sure children go from victims to survivors to a thriver. They’re the future of Belmont County, and we want to ensure that they’re as healthy as can be,” she said.

She noted that in five years the facility’s Belmont County location has served 1,504 clients. Those include 893 children and 611 non-offending adult family members.

“One of the things we specialize in is forensic interviewing, and that’s a neutral, non-leading conversation with a child that’s recorded, and that information can be used by others, and we try to do that to decrease a trauma that a child might feel when people are asking him or her questions. We did 767 of those specialized forensic interviews during that five-year period,” she said.

Vassilaros added that medical assessments are also provided following allegations of abuse.

“They need to make sure that they have no injuries, and sometimes they just need to hear that their bodies are OK after some of the traumas they went through. We conducted 251 medical assessments … it is a specialized examination. It is not just going to the doctor’s for a routine examination,” she explained.

She added that mental health issues are also taken into account.

“Any time a child or a child’s family is traumatized by allegations of abuse, there can be a lot of issues for that child and that family, so our agency uses a trauma-focused mental help. They can’t go to a regular therapist. They have to go to one who understands the trauma of child abuse and is able to help the child and the family work through that system, and we provided 519 mental health referrals during that five-year period.”

In addition, she said Harmony House has initiated a human trafficking task force.

“It is in our community. We do see sometimes children and teenagers being traded for drugs by their parents, and that is a form of human trafficking, so we’re working with our community, including Tri-County Help Center, to be there for these victims,” she said.

Vassilaros expressed gratitude to local financial sources and also cited efforts to grow the program and obtain more funding. She added that the program may increase its hours of operation.

“It’s going to help us see so many more children and their families,” she said. “We do a wonderful level of service, but we’re going to be able to up our game because we’re going to have more time and resources.”

Thanks also went to the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement, as well as the medical and mental health community and nonprofits.

“And it’s just the community in general. I don’t know how many times people in this community have stepped up and said, ‘What do you need? Do you need snacks for the kids? Do you need some stuffed animals for the kids?’ It’s been a tremendous journey, and I’ve been proud to be a part of this,” she said.

She added that she was also proud to be able to help bring the program to Belmont County.

“Belmont County children, like all children, deserve a safe and happy world. When that world is shattered by child abuse, we have to step up. We have to.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with Leslie over the last five years,” said DJFS Director Vince Gianangeli.

Vassilaros will be retiring at the end of March but added that Harmony House will continue its mission.

Gianangeli noted that the financial groundwork has been laid for the future of Harmony House’s activities in the county and the area has committed to the program. He pointed out a replacement levy for Children’s Services was passed last year, so the department will have continued funding as funding is cut throughout the state.

He added that Harmony House has been invaluable in addressing the increasing cases of child abuse in the area. The commissioners pledged to continue to support the program for as long as needed.

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