Concord: Central county family justice center a ‘one-stop shop’ for victims of abuse
Concord: Central county family justice center a ‘one-stop shop’ for victims of abuse Bay City News POSTED: 03/20/2015 12:25:17 PM PDT Gilbert Herrera, center, of Concord, visits with Dorea Stevens, right, of the Bay Area Crisis Nursery during the open house for the new Central Family Justice Center in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, March 19, 2015. (Dan Rosenstrauch/Bay Area News Group) ( DAN ROSENSTRAUCH ) CONCORD – When Concord police Chief Guy Swanger was a rookie cop fresh out of college, he said there was nothing more humbling than having to intervene in the relationships of couples who had been married longer than he had been alive. “You knew the situation was going to escalate into violence but you had no solutions, you had nowhere to turn,” Swanger said. “There wasn’t an officer out there who didn’t think, ‘I wish there was something I could do.’” It’s no coincidence, then, that several decades later, police chiefs from across the county joined with public officials today to celebrate the grand opening of the Central County Family Justice Center in Concord, he said.
March 2015 Newsletter
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Contra Costa Times: Concord council bucks recommendation, awards $250,000 grant to Family Justice Center
CONCORD — City Council members on Tuesday gave the Central County Family Justice Center a $250,000 grant, overriding a committee’s decision to award substantially less. In December, a subcommittee of Concord’s Community Services Commission approved a $30,000 award for the Central County Family Justice Center, which opened Monday at 2151 Salvio St., across from Todos Santos Plaza. However, police Chief Guy Swanger and Susun Kim, the center’s executive director, appealed to the City Council — whose members make up the Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District board — to fulfill their original request for $250,000. “This investment would be good for our families, our children and our community,” Kim said. “I think this is going to be a really critical investment to build a future free of violence.” Mayor Tim Grayson agreed. “The Family Justice Center saves lives. This money could sit in an account for the rest of this fiscal year and pad an account with reserve or we could use it to save lives.” The council, acting as the health care district board, voted 4-1 to approve the full $250,000 funding; Edi Birsan cast the no vote. The downtown Concord center, the existing West Contra Costa Family Justice Center in Richmond and a third center planned for East County would be the first such countywide network in the country, according to Contra Costa County leaders. The centers bring police, prosecutors, social service agencies and community organizations together under one roof, where victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking can find resources to help them report abuse and leave violent situations. Experts say the family justice model reduces homicides and increases safety and efficiency. The Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District was created in 2012, when the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission dissolved the Mt. Diablo Health Care District. The district’s funding comes from property taxes plus $25,000 per year from John Muir Health for administrative costs. In the current fiscal year, the district disbursed $290,333 in grants to local nonprofits, leaving $289,730 in the bank. No grant was more than $30,000. The award to the Family Justice Center leaves about $40,000 in reserves, and the district expects to receive $287,000 in property tax revenue next fiscal year. After robust discussion, the commission unanimously approved the lower amount, in part because of other needs in the community. “There’s lots of nonprofits out there; I can name a dozen right now, who are just barely hanging on but who make a tremendous impact on our community and are just as valuable,” Commissioner Devlyn Sewell said. “So I want to speak for those who don’t have an opportunity to come at a second dip.” Councilwoman Laura Hoffmeister countered that the health care district has a unique opportunity to help establish an agency that will reduce medical costs and have a positive impact on the county. Although he supports fully funding the Family Justice Center, Birsan objected to giving most of the health care district’s remaining funds to the center without commissioners’ approval. He suggested the council instead allocate $220,000 from the general fund of the city’s reserves. “I will oppose this as written, but it’s only because the procedure is inappropriate, the protocols are not being followed, the tradition is not being followed,” Birsan said. Grayson, an early supporter of establishing a Family Justice Center, immediately fired back, “I, unequivocally, am willing to break tradition to save lives.” Lisa P. White covers Concord and Pleasant Hill. Contact her at 925-943-8011. Follow her atTwitter.com/lisa_p_white. Download pdf here.
Family Justice Community News – December 2014
What a year! Read our December 2014 Newsletter!
Contra Costa Times: Concord: Center to help domestic violence victims opening in January
“CONCORD — The Central County Family Justice Center, which will help victims report domestic violence, is scheduled to open next month in Salvio Pacheco Square. The City Council on Tuesday allocated $35,000 to fund the first six months of operations at the center and approved a three-year lease for 8,000 square feet of office space at 2151 Salvio St., across from Todos Santos Plaza. Rent for the space will be paid for from the center’s budget, not by the city. The downtown Concord center, the existing West Contra Costa Family Justice Center in Richmond and a third center planned for East County would be the first such countywide network in the country, according to Contra Costa County leaders. These centers bring together police, prosecutors, social service agencies and community organizations at a “one-stop shop” where victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse can access resources to help them report abuse and leave a violent situation. Experts say the family justice model reduces homicides and increases safety and efficiency.” Read the full article here. Download the pdf here.
Contra Costa Times: Concord: Incumbents sworn in Tuesday; Tim Grayson remains mayor
“Grayson also thanked his council colleagues, City Attorney Mark Coon, City Manager Valerie Barone and Police Chief Guy Swanger for their support and hard work in shepherding the family justice center from concept to reality in just one year. The proposed Central County Family Justice Center, which will be located in downtown Concord, will help victims and their families navigate the often overwhelming and intimidating process of reporting domestic violence. “Family justice center is a much-needed facility, organization and a safe place for the victims of domestic violence — no matter what gender, no matter what age — and the victims of elder abuse,” Grayson said. “We’re looking forward to opening the doors very, very soon,” he added.” Read the full article at: http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_27058949/concord-incumbents-sworn-tuesday-tim-grayson-remains-mayor
Construction Begins on Expanded Family Justice Center for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, dignitaries join For Richmond at groundbreaking
“For Richmond leaders joined Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom, Contra Costa Supervisor John Giola, Police Chief Chris Magnus and various community leaders and organizations Friday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the expanded West Contra Costa Family Justice Center (FJC) in Richmond. FJC is a multi-service center for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and human trafficking and their families.” Read on! Click here: FJC News Article 11 6 13
Local organizations raise awareness about resources for domestic violence victims
Richmond Confidential By S. Parker Yesko Posted October 4, 2014 7:12 pm Domestic Violence Awareness Month has spurred local organizations to spotlight expanding resources for victims, witnesses, and even perpetrators. At a time when an NFL scandal has propelled the issue into the national spotlight, several agencies and nonprofits are making Richmond a priority for domestic violence intervention. Federal dollars awarded to Contra Costa County last week will help to fund the efforts. “We’re trying to spread the word that it’s not a private issue, it’s a community issue,” said Jon Myers, spokesman for the California Victim Compensation Program (CalVCP), a state agency that offers financial support to victims of crime. This month, CalVCP released free online resource packets including graphics, fliers, and ready-to-use tweets about domestic abuse. An ad campaign running throughout public transit in four high-crime Bay Area cities, including Richmond, reminds the public that recovery from domestic crime is costly and CalVCP can help pay. The graphic ads, which show bruised and battered victims, are designed to make an impression. “We’re showing the reality of crime,” Myers said. “The images that you see on the bus and the BART are a little darker than what we’ve done in the past.” CalVCP helps victims pay for medical bills, therapy, funeral costs and lost income. In cases of domestic violence, relief funds often help women and children relocate to safer living situations. In Contra Costa County, the agency dispensed $376,630 to 250 victims of domestic violence in the last fiscal year, Myers said. Funds come from restitution payments made by offenders. Domestic violence-related calls for assistance in Richmond were down to 397 in 2013 after reaching a 10-year high of 557 in 2012, well above the county per capita average, according to data from the state attorney general’s office. The West Contra Costa Family Justice Center (WCCFJC) is hoping to sustain the downward trend in Richmond. Normally once-per-month newsletters will be distributed weekly in October. The ramped up communications aims to educate readers on the interconnectedness of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking. The center is a one-stop shop, temporarily at the Hilltop Mall, where victims can get help from medical professionals, crisis counselors, law enforcement and attorneys. WCCFJC has partnered with the Richmond Police Department, Bay Area Legal Aid, STAND! For Families Free of Violence, and Community Violence Solutions, a rape crisis center. “National stats say that your typical domestic violence survivor has to navigate through 30 different systems, different intake hours, different locations, and different eligibility requirements,” WCCFJC Executive Director Susun Kim said. “What we have at the center are navigators who sit down with the client and figure out her situation, her safety, and her needs.” WCCFJC will also work with Concord-based STAND!, and other community and county partners, to implement a domestic violence homicide reduction program over the next two years. A $650,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant awarded to the county last week will help train first responders in identifying domestic violence offenders that are most likely to kill their victims. Once potentially fatal situations are identified, STAND! will provide intervention services for all members of affected families, including children and perpetrators. STAND! will also host public events this month and expand a program that promotes gender respect in Richmond public schools. “Being a man doesn’t mean using violence and abusive or belittling behavior,” said Rebekah Truemper, STAND!’s director of Development and Marketing. “It’s about caring and compassion and being nurturing. That’s actually more manly.” Read this Article from the Richmond Confidential
Family Justice Community News – October 2014
It is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Wear a purple ribbon and read our October 2014 Newsletter.
County to Get Share of Federal Funds
“A new much larger Family Justice Center is set to open in Richmond next year, and the county is working to create a Family Justice Center network with additional centers in Concord and east Contra Costa County.” Read on! Click here: FJC News Article 9 25 14