McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center

Both national and local data demonstrates a growing challenge. Nationally, one out of four girls and one out of six boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18 (Center for Disease Control, 2005). Right here in Onondaga County in 2010 alone, there were more than 5,000 child abuse reports to the child abuse hot line representing approximately 9,000 children who were suspected victims of abuse, often by the people they trust most.

McMahon/Ryan’s former location on West Onondaga Street lacked the space to effectively coordinate the services and needs for all these children and their families. Despite our best efforts, many of the services these young victims need remained scattered across the county. At the most critical point of disclosure, a child was not able to receive all services in a child-friendly location. Further, to get needed treatment and support, abused children and their families had to negotiate a maze of systems, which can be completely overwhelming. The community was also burdened by the costs of a fragmented system.

The McMahon/Ryan organization has worked hard to change all that.

As a result of the expanded role and services that McMahon/Ryan plays and as evidenced by the increase in reported child abuse cases, McMahon/Ryan in 2010 began exploring a more comprehensive community solution that would more fully engage our collaborating agencies. The best solution to the growing needs in Onondaga County was to establish an accredited Child Advocacy Center.

It was our vision to provide a location where all members of the Child Abuse Response Team (CART) can be located under one roof, promoting the ability of all professionals to efficiently work together for abused children. It is critical to provide comprehensive, quality care in a compassionate manner to these children in order to minimize the trauma they’ve endured and to prevent potential negative life consequences. Without early intervention, these children often go on to have significant emotional or behavioral problems, which can include: depression, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, adolescent pregnancy and becoming juvenile abusers themselves.

McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site opened its new doors to a totally renovated 30,000 square foot building, the former Reid Hall (former location of Syracuse University’s University College) at 601 East Genesee Street in June 2011. This new location provides space for all the agencies that are members of the Child Abuse Response Team to co-locate under one roof. In order to bring the vision of a fully-accredited CAC to fruition, we have embarked on a $3-million capital campaign that will be conducted in three phases. The campaign will ensure that the critical services McMahon/Ryan and our partner organizations provide now will be available in this community for decades to come