2200 Hilltop Mall Rd. Ste. 110D Richmond, CA 94806 Phone: (510) 965-4949 Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Hours: Mondays 8:30-5:00

Vision: Through a single door, the West Contra Costa Family Justice Center brings together our entire community to support the healing of family violence survivors.  Our diverse partners work hand-in-hand, responding directly to survivor needs.  Working together, we create new violence-free futures for family, communities, and our county.

The West Contra Costa Family Justice Center is located within the county of Contra Costa in the city of Richmond, California.  Contra Costa County is a Northern California community of 1,049,025 people that is bordered by the counties of Alameda, Solano, and Marin.  A regional plan for opening Family Justice Centers throughout Contra Costa is being formulated with the initial Center serving West Contra Costa.  West Contra Costa has approximately 300,000 residents, covers 68.1 miles, and includes the cities of El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, and San Pablo as well as 11 unincorporated towns.

Individual agency efforts to address family violence in Contra Costa County began in the 1970’s.  In the late 1990’s it became apparent that domestic violence systems were uncoordinated and fragmented, prompting the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to adopt a “Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence” policy in February 2000.  In October 2000 over 50 local experts from across the County met to identify strategic directions for the County’s domestic violence response system and to prioritize system improvements. The top two priorities were: coordinating domestic and family violence and elder abuse intervention; and establishing multidisciplinary teams to monitor perpetrators and serve victims and their families.

Contra Costa County went on to become the first “Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence” County in California when Senator Torlakson authored SB 425 in 2001.  The bill initiated the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Initiative, a County program to oversee coordination of domestic violence, family violence and elder abuse prevention, intervention, and prosecution.  The Zero Tolerance Initiative is a multidisciplinary collaborative of government agencies and community based organizations, which coordinates the development of the West Contra Costa County Family Justice Center.

The history of effective community organizing to address violence in Contra Costa County as well as the planning team’s long track record of collaboration and working in close partnership provided a strong foundation for the establishment of their Center.  The West Contra Costa County Family Justice Center is a public-private partnership. The Center’s governing steering committee includes representatives from all core service agencies as well as a survivor committee representative.  A third party agency serves as the Center’s fiscal agent and holds MOUs with partner agencies. Melissa Caine-Huckabay, was hired as the project manager to assist with the West Contra Costa County planning process and worked under the leadership of the Learning Exchange Team.  The core service agencies include Zero Tolerance, STAND! For Families Free of Violence, Community Violence Solutions, Richmond Police Department, and Bay Area Legal Aid.

The West Contra Costa County Family Justice Center is a collaborative one-stop service center providing help to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, elder abuse, and human trafficking.  On-site partner agencies include: the Richmond Police Department, STAND! For Families Free of Violence, Community Violence Solutions, Victim Witness, and Bay Area Legal Aid.  Partner agencies provide advocacy, access to counseling and mental health, assistance with emergency shelter, safety planning, law enforcement assistance, civil legal assistance (TROs, custody, dissolution), court accompaniment and access to the Victim Assistance Program.

West Contra Costa County generously donated a building for the Family Justice Center’s use.  The facility required significant renovation and a focus on raising funds for the building was determined to be most critical.  The County Board of Supervisors voted to give the building title to the City of Richmond with the plan to release bonds to cover renovation costs.  The City would own the building and lease it for the purpose of operating the FJC.

As plans moved forward with the Center’s permanent facility, Chief Chris Magnus of the Richmond Police Department graciously offered the use of a police substation for the Center to operate on an interim basis. The substation is located in a shopping mall, providing clients with some anonymity when seeking services.  On March 7, 2011 the West Contra Costa County Family Justice Center began providing services at the police substation once a week.  Providing services on a smaller scale at the interim location allowed partner agencies to test policies and procedures and work through any operational or service delivery challenges prior to moving into the permanent location and providing services full time.

The West Contra Costa County Family Justice Center planning team conducted several focus groups with survivors of domestic violence.  Findings from these focus groups were integrated into the Center’s design, polices, procedures, and service delivery.  The planning team did an excellent job of incorporating survivors’ voices into all aspects of the Center’s planning process.