Family Peace Center
The Mayor’s Office of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Prevention and the 17th Judicial Circuit Domestic Violence Coordinated Court are proposing the creation of a Family Justice Center, a centralized and trauma informed facility, where specialized organizations will work together so survivors and their children may safely and more easily access the services they need.
The Family Justice Center model has been identified as a best practice in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention services by the United States Department of Justice. Family Justice Centers are multi-agency, multidisciplinary co-located service centers that provide services to victims of interpersonal violence including, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder or dependent adult abuse, and human trafficking. Both public and private partner agencies assign staff on a full-time or part-time basis to provide services from one location. Centers focus on reducing the number of times victims tell their story, the number of places victims must go for help, and look to increase access to services and support for victims and their children.
While the nationally recognized model is called a Family Justice Center, not all facilities use that name. During community sessions and survivor interactions from the very beginning of the process, the consensus was that the name of the Family Justice Center should reflect our community. Survivors told us the name should be warm and welcoming for both them and their children. In May of 2019, Mayor McNamara announced that the local facility will be called Family Peace Center.
To donate to the Family Peace Center, contact Jennifer Cacciapaglia, Manager of the Mayor’s Office of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Prevention, at [email protected].
