Family Justice Center (FJC)

The Bexar County Family Justice Center is a unique organization that provides the services and resources necessary to assist victims of domestic violence and their families in one, centralized location. The Family Justice Center is one of only two of its kind in the State of Texas.

GOALS

The goals of the Bexar County Family Justice Center include:

  • Effective apprehension and prosecution of domestic violence cases
  • Empowerment and education of victims of domestic violence leading to the termination of abusive relationships, thus breaking the cycle of domestic violence - one family at a time
  • Greater access to legal and social services
  • Increased reporting of undocumented domestic violence

FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER HISTORY

In 2004, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women announced they were sponsoring a Family Justice Center Initiative Grant to help fund the planning and development of comprehensive domestic violence victim service and support centers. The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office saw the potential for having a positive and profound impact on the families in Bexar County dealing with domestic violence and began working to create a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office and other organizations such Bexar County Housing and Human Services, the San Antonio Police Department, University Health, and the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative. By the time the grant application was completed and filed, the District Attorney’s Office had brought in over thirty partners from public, non-profit, and private sectors.

Since opening on August 1, 2005, the Bexar County Family Justice Center has grown in size and in services. Their partnership now consists of over forty members, and they serve nearly 4,000 families a year. To learn more about the Bexar County Family Justice Center, visit the BCFJC website.