PERRYVILLE -- The city of Perryville has been awarded a $200,000 loan to help expand the Perry County Women's Crisis Center.

"Domestic violence is a persistent problem that damages families, communities and the heart of honesty and trust that individuals have in one another," U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said in announcing the loan on Friday.

The money will be used to build a 3,596-square-foot building to meet the needs of women and children who are victims of violence and abuse.

It will have six bedrooms, 18 beds, two offices, a counseling room, a dining room and a kitchen.

The current center can handle three to five people a night.

"This loan will make it possible for us to continue providing these valuable services to the families in the area and to expand our abilities to provide individuals with shelter, and also to expand the services throughout southern Missouri," said Donna Guemmer, who chairs the crisis center.

The Women's Crisis Center has sheltered more than 250 women and children since it opened in October 1995.

The center serves residents of Perry, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve counties.