The Fayetteville Family Justice Center opened in February for victims of domestic abuse and sex crimes. Numerous community partners and agencies were on hand at the center's grand opening Feb. 9. Domestic violence cases more than doubled in 2011 (1,693) from 2010 (806).
The Family Justice Center, located in the Beldon-Horne House at 519 Ramsey Street, brings together multiple agencies in one location to make it easier on victims coping pain from the abuse they have endured. According to the Office of Violence Against Women, the Family Justice Center concept is considered a best practice in its field.
Chief Tom Bergamine and Sgt. Kellie Berg had the vision for the center after the Fayetteville Police Department's Special Victims Unit was implemented. Volunteers cleaned and repaired the facility before it opened and a large number of agencies, organizations and businesses, including the Florence Rogers Charitable Trust and Lowe's Home Improvement, made monetary donations and other donations.
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"A lot of times, the victims, they get lost in the process and that's the reason this facility is so important," said Fayetteville Police Lt. Tracey Bass-Cain.
The center offers access to counseling, directs victims to social services and provides police services. While not a shelter, the center can help victims find them for temporary housing.
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Open from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Family Justice Center is a partnership of the Fayetteville Police Department, the City of Fayetteville, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, the Spring Lake Police Department, Cumberland County Courts and Army Community Services and the Criminal Investigation Command.