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Mission

The mission of the Montgomery County Family Justice Center is to promote safety, wellness and healing for victims of intimate partner domestic violence.

History

A Family Justice Center is a co-location of agencies and organizations that serve as a “one-stop shop” for domestic violence survivors to receive critical, wraparound services. The first such center, established in 2002 in San Diego, CA, was hailed as a major step forward in addressing domestic violence in a more collaborative way. In 2006, Montgomery County established the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC), a 19-member board with representatives from county and state agencies as well as the general public, to advise the County Executive on matters pertaining to domestic violence in the county. One of the first recommendations to come out of the DVCC was to create a Family Justice Center in Montgomery County. At that time, a domestic violence survivor would have to go to more than a dozen different locations throughout the county, re-telling and re-living their story each time, to receive all of the services available to them. Thanks to major collaborative efforts by numerous county agencies and community nonprofits, with the support of the County Executive and County Council, the Montgomery County Family Justice Center opened in the Spring of 2009. Today, this collaborative center, under the auspices of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, serves as the central hub for domestic violence services in the county, serving more than 1,500 individuals per year. Services are offered at no cost in a safe, family-friendly environment conveniently located in downtown Rockville within walking distance of the Circuit Court, District Court, and public transportation. The Family Justice Center model, now considered a best practice by the U.S. Department of Justice in service delivery to families affected by domestic violence, continues to grow both nationally and internationally.