Thursday, June 15, 2017

Solano [County] grand jury finds fault with Family Justice Center

FAIRFIELD — A Solano County grand jury report issued Monday took issue with some of the services being offered at the Solano County Family Justice Center, a central “one-stop shop” on Empire Street in Fairfield where law enforcement and partner agencies work to support victims of domestic violence.
The report faults the center, overseen by the District Attorney’s Office, for not having enough partner agencies working under its roof and for not making greater efforts to expand the numbers of those partnerships.
The center’s director, Angel Aguilar, said in a written response to the concern that there are currently nearly a dozen different government and nonprofit agencies working at the center and that three more agencies will come on board in the upcoming weeks.
Transportation hurdles for domestic violence victims, typically in the south part of Solano County, was also raised as a concern by the grand jury, which recommended the center develop portable services or ways to transport victims without transportation to and from the Fairfield center located near the courthouse.
The grand jury also recommended the center’s partners and staff boost their marketing and education outreach to the community. Aguilar disputed the finding, pointing out that his staff have in the past two years participated in more than 20 community events and had speakers and educators share their knowledge with more than a dozen local service groups and agencies.
The grand jury also stated that the center’s staff needs to work more aggressively at securing stable funding to lessen the dependence on grant funding that is subject to change, including grant funding that ends later this year.
June 14, 2017
Fairfield Daily Republic
By Jess Sullivan


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