SANDPOINT — The LillyBrooke Family Justice Center is hosting an open house on Wednesday.

It lasts from 5-7 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres will be available and staff and volunteers will be on hand. LillyBrooke is located at 227 South First Ave., inside the historic McFarland House.

LillyBrooke is an advocacy center for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The decidedly homey setting is meant to provide a safe environment for sexual abuse survivors to make disclosures.

It provides a central location for law enforcement investigators, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare officials and counselors to interview children, which means a child won’t have to be carted from one agency and office to another to repeatedly make disclosures.

The arrangement exerts less strain on a child provides fewer opportunities for a defendant’s counsel to scour various statements for inconsistencies that can be emphasized upon at trial in an attempt to win an acquittal.

LillyBrooke utilizes a national child advocacy center model, making it a unique asset for the northernmost part of Idaho. It’s also conveniently located next to the county courthouse and provides a place for families to pass the time during court proceedings.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.