Press Releases - Mollohan Work Results in Help for Neglected and Abused Teenage Girls

Mollohan Work Results in Help for Neglected and Abused Teenage Girls
Federal Funding Secured to Enhance Treatment for Adolescents

Congressman Alan Mollohan's work on the House Appropriations Committee will result in a Brooke County group home for teenage girls improving its family treatment programs.

Mollohan was able to secure $98,723 in funding from the U.S. Justice Department in the 2006 spending bill for Brooke Place, a residential facility for girls who have been removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse.

Officials of the Justice Department informed Mollohan this week that the funds will be released to Family Connections, the Weirton-based nonprofit agency that operates Brooke Place.

"Even in the best of circumstances, adolescence can be a tough time in a person's life. The youngsters who live at Brooke Place have suffered far worse. The bad experiences are tragic in their own right - and also increase the risk that these girls will encounter serious troubles later in life," Mollohan said.

"Fortunately, Family Connections is there to help them. It will use this grant to develop new treatment programs, with an emphasis on family therapy and after-care services. The goal is to put these girls on the path to a safe, stable future with opportunities to succeed," he said.

Brooke Place was built in 2002 through funds earmarked by Mollohan. The Colliers-area facility replaced the former group home in Wellsburg.

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