Amani Center nears goal for new building, adding child safety services in Columbia County
Published 5:00 am Thursday, July 30, 2026
The Amani Center is closing in on its fundraising goal for a planned expansion project and, if all goes well, the child abuse assessment center will break ground on the new building by the end of the year.
The center has seen a significant uptick in requests for service in recent years, necessitating an expansion of its current facility. The new building is estimated to cost $4.45 million to build, and the full project expense will rise to $5.1 million including furnishings and program expansion costs that will be implemented once the facility is complete.
So far, the Amani Center has raised 71% of the $4.45 million construction budget goal from a variety of sources, including government contributions and grants, Deputy Director Beth Pulito said. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust recently contributed $400,000 to the effort.
The new building will allow the Amani Center to increase forensic medical assessments from 200 annually to 350 — or up to 700 at full capacity. The center will also be able to provide integrated mental health services onsite, increase appointment capacity, become fully Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant and more.
While a groundbreaking date has not been finalized, the organization hopes to start construction by the end of the year, Pulito said.
Construction is expected to take 9-12 months to complete, Pulito said, and during that time the center will continue fundraising toward the full project budget goal so the Amani Center does not have to take on debt once the building is ready.
“Gifts from individuals, businesses, materials suppliers and foundations do not have to be fully delivered by the end of the project,” Pulito said. “We are happy to work with donors through pledges if a multiyear gift is more within their comfort level but they still want to make a transformational gift that impacts children across Columbia County.”
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