The Warren County Department of Community Based Services isn’t expanding or moving, but it is redesigning its four visitation rooms through a partnership with Court Appointed Special Advocates of South Central Kentucky.

Visitation rooms provide safe spaces for families separated by drugs, domestic abuse or violence to reconnect, so the motivation behind the renovations is to ensure that those spaces aren’t lifeless beige walls.

“The most important thing to know is that these children, for whatever reason, cannot be at home right now with their families,” said Diane Eidson, advocate coordinator at CASA. “To be able to have a place where they can come and visit with their families in a homelike setting, instead of a dark, dingy office, certainly lends a hand to healing.”

To accomplish this goal, the DCBS and CASA are collecting new or gently used furniture and children’s entertainment donations, and local graphic artist Lori James offered to paint unique murals for each visitation room and the lobby.

CASA Executive Director Jana Sublett helped initiate the idea after recognizing the opportunity for the DCBS.

“One of our goals for the project is making sure people know there is a correlation between the (DCBS) and CASA, and that we are partners in the fight against child abuse and making sure kids have safe permanent homes,” Sublett said.

Once the rooms are painted and the furniture is placed, there will be a ribbon-cutting. The timeline isn’t set, but the goal is before January. The organizations would like to receive all donations by Dec. 1.

To donate, contact CASA at 270-782-5353. CASA has in-kind donation forms available, if needed.

Then, people may drop off donations between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the DCBS – which is part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services – at 356 Suwannee Trail St. in Bowling Green.

Furniture needs include high chairs, bassinets, full-size and children’s-size table and chair sets, bean bag chairs, Pack ’N Plays and rugs. Furniture should not be upholstered for cleanliness purposes, and all items should be sanitized before delivery.

The DCBS also needs storage items such as plastic toy bins, paper trays and book shelves, and child entertainment items such as board games, picture or story books, wooden puzzles, large piece puzzles, Lincoln Logs or blocks, coloring books and drawing paper.

Items should be comprised of sturdy materials and in good condition.

“Our visitation rooms are used every hour of every week,” said Fonda Walker, a DCBS social services clinician. The DCBS moved into its current office about three years ago, and the previous furniture has already worn out.

Several donations have been dropped off, but the DCBS and CASA are nowhere near their goal yet.

“We certainly appreciate all donations,” Eidson said.

CASA currently serves about 150 children and maintains a waiting list due to a lack of volunteers, which CASA will begin training for Feb. 2.

“The number of children in foster care right now is unbelievable,” Eidson said. “We definitely want to serve more.”

The DCBS supports several family services and administers the state foster care and adoption systems and recruits potential foster care parents through its Division of Protection and Permanency.

Together, they serve some of the area’s most vulnerable.

“(Child abuse) is not a state problem. These are Warren County children, these are children that are going to school with their children,” Walker said. “If you had to visit your kids twice a week, wouldn’t you want it to be as homey as possible?”