Napa County DA Awarded Cal-OES Grant For Family Justice Center

NAPA, CA — The Napa County District Attorney’s Office was chosen to receive a competitive grant award from the California Office of Emergency Services — Cal-OES — that will provide funding for an emerging Family Justice Center Program in Napa County, the DA's Office announced Wednesday in a news release.

The two-year grant award of $400,000 will allow the DA's Office and its local partners to operate the program, the purpose of which is to provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abuse, or human trafficking services in a person-centered collaborative setting in order to reduce the trauma experienced.

A collaborative effort has been underway for several years between the DA, local community-based service provider organizations, law enforcement, and adult protective services to develop a model for a Family Justice Center that would best serve vulnerable victims of crimes in the county, according to the news release.

The county's emerging Family Justice Center will reportedly create a new centralized location where victims of crime can be better served by a team of multidisciplinary partners representing law enforcement, victim advocates, forensic interviewers, government and nonprofit service providers and the DA.

Currently, according to the news release, space has been identified for the Family Justice Center in a portion of Aldea Children and Family Services' building on First Street in downtown Napa, adjacent to the County's Courage Center Program, a nationally accredited Child Advocacy Center serving child victims of crime and their family members.

In addition to the dedicated staffing to be provided for the program by the DA's Office and Aldea, the multidisciplinary team partners will provide staffing and resources to support the operations of the Family Justice Center, based on the demand for services.

The grant funding from Cal-OES will allow the partnering agencies "to provide a more comprehensive and accessible operating model that will ensure improved coordination of services for vulnerable victims in one location and that services are delivered based on current best practices and the needs of the individual to be served," according to the news release.

"Serving victims of crime in a kind, compassionate and dignified way is the responsibility of any decent community," said Napa County DA Allison Haley. "We are proud to collaborate with our excellent service providers from across this county to create a model that empowers survivors and assures them that they are not alone."

Image via Napa County District Attorney's Office