In 2013, there were 5,487 cases of reported domestic violence against an intimate partner in the state of Maine, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cases go unreported every year. The domestic violence problem in Maine and nationwide is very serious, to put it mildly. And its potential impact on children is not just “serious,” it’s horrendous. Think about it. Or, then again, you may not want to think about it. Fortunately, some enterprising local women not only thought about the issue; they did something about it.

In 1994, members of the Bath-Brunswick chapter of AAUW (American Association of University Women) assembled a panel to speak to the issue of domestic violence. According to Millie Simpson Stewart, who attended the meeting, someone asked Judge Joseph Field what the members could do. “He said that they needed a place where the parents could exchange the children without the threat of violence,” she recalls. “And they didn’t want it to be a police station or something like a McDonalds.”

The AAUW members went to work and in September 1996, the first exchange took place in the security building at the Brunswick Naval Air Station. After 9/11, the exchange site was moved to the First Parish Church in Brunswick; then to the Old Bath Hospital; and finally, in 2002, to Mid Coast Hospital.

The exchange program, with the assistance of volunteers, enables the parents with joint custody to exchange the children at the Midcoast Hospital without coming in contact with each other. “The program is one of very few such programs in Maine,” says Stewart, “and it’s been very successful.”

In 2012, Home to Home began offering supervised visits as well as exchanges. Program Supervisors are present during the visits. Erika Simonson, President of the Home to Home Board of Directors, says that Home to Home currently oversees 500-600 supervised visits a year. “We want the visits to be in a neutral comfortable place,” says Simonson. “We want to keep the kids safe.” She noted that while most of the cases involve low-income families, some of the most challenging cases involve high-income families.

Typically, the 1-2 hour visits occur weekly. The parents, themselves, pay the modest fee for each visit, although scholarship funds are available for those who can’t afford the fee. Home to Home gets funding from the United Way as well as from donations and grants.

“As a supervisor, my role is to make sure the parents have a safe space where they can interact with their parents,” explains Mary Robinson, one of two program supervisors. “I’m not there to parent. I’m more like a fly on the wall.” Robinson’s work offers rewards as well as challenges. “It’s great to see a child run into his parent’s arms, to feel the love that is there.”

She noted that in addition to playing board games or talking, the parents and children sometimes take walks in the trails behind the hospital.

One Home to Home client, who wished to remain anonymous, says, “It’s such a joy to get to know my kids, to learn about each other. The program is awesome!”

Karen McIntire, Program Coordinator, says, “We want people to know that there’s help out there.” She adds that Home to Home hopes to expand beyond Brunswick and Bath to the Lewiston/Auburn area.

For information on supporting or volunteering for Home to Home, write to [email protected].

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David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” column at [email protected].