The Center for Family Justice officially opened on Monday in Bridgeport, Conn. It’s the first Family Justice Center model in the state, a specialized facility where victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse can go for a range of services, including free counseling from attorneys and police, all in one location.
The center started as a YWCA in 1895. Soon after, it became a shelter for victims of domestic violence, which is how it had operated for more than 100 years. Two years ago, the center started the process to become a Family Justice Center. With its opening on Monday, the center is one of about 100 in the world that offers an array of coordinated, co-located services to anyone who suffers from abuse. The center has about a dozen lawyers working pro bono, and police officers from Bridgeport and neighboring towns.
President and CEO Debra Greenwood says attorneys and police can answer a lot of questions victims might not be able to find anywhere else.
“What if I want to go back to the house or the apartment or the condo and get my things, my clothes, my children’s toys? Then they have the opportunity at the Justice Center to get advice, good sound advice, on what they can do to help them along their journey into safety,” Greenwood says.
The center also runs an off-site shelter for victims of domestic violence, and that’s in a secret location to protect its residents. Last year about 8,500 people received services from the Center for Family Justice.
Greenwood says, “What I’ve seen is an increase in numbers, and I look at it that they’re finding their way to getting help so they can become a survivor and they can live a happy life on their own.”
Greenwood says when numbers go up, that’s actually a good thing. Because the stigma can make it hard for victims to talk openly about what they’re going through. She says people who walk in the door at the Center for Family Justice will find counselors and professionals who don’t judge. They just want to help. And Greenwood says now they’ll be able to help even more people.
