Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $400,000 grant to the state Department of Human Resources to assist elderly people and disabled adults who are victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The grant will enable the department’s Adult Protective Services Division to remove victims from abusive environments and provide them with safe temporary housing.
“Abuse of any individual is a horrendous crime that should not be tolerated,” Gov. Ivey said. “This program provides a safe haven to those elderly and disabled adults who are victims of physical and mental abuse.”
DHR officials say that Adult Protective Services is also trying to establish at least one adult foster home in each of the state’s 67 counties to make it easier for victims to live in communities where they were raised and have semblance of independent life.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Gov. Ivey detests abuse of any kind and is adamant that victims escaping those situations have access to needed services,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is united with Gov. Ivey and the Alabama Department of Human Resources to see that elderly and disabled victims are taken out of harm’s way and placed in safe environments.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
