1122 Broadway, Suite 200 San Diego, CA  92101 Phone: 866-933-HOPE (4673) Website: http://www.sandiego.gov/sandiegofamilyjusticecenter/ Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Vision:
Our vision is to provide a safe location where all the needs of victims are met, violence is stopped, families heal, and hope is realized.

The San Diego Family Justice Center opened in October 2002 and was the first of its kind in the United States. Former San Diego City Attorney Casey Gwinn was the visionary behind the Center. Under the leadership of the founding Director, Gael Strack, the San Diego Family Justice Center served as a model for Centers across the country.  In 2008, Family Justice Center became a department of the City of San Diego under the leadership of the San Diego Police Department.

The San Diego Center Family Justice Center played a major role in the planning and implementation of the Initiative.  In September 2009, San Diego hosted an orientation kick-off conference for the Learning Exchange Teams. The success of this event constituted a great opportunity for Learning Exchange Teams to begin their planning and work toward opening their respective Centers.  In September 2010, the California Family Justice Initiative Statewide Conference was held in San Diego and the San Diego FJC provided an opportunity for sites to tour their new permanent facility and participate in and observe a fundraising event.  This gave sites a first-hand look at holding an open house and tour as well as holding a special event/grand opening.

The director of the San Diego FJC, Captain Lori Luhnow and Operations Coordinator Sergeant Judy Weber provided technical assistance to sites on a variety of issues throughout their planning processes.  Capt. Luhnow and Sgt. Weber were instrumental in assisting sites with understanding their role in developing effective co-located/multi-service delivery models in their communities.  Given their law enforcement backgrounds, they provided information and answers with respect to law enforcement's role in this project and helped bridge the gap between law enforcement and community based organizations.

Specifically, the San Diego Family Justice Center served as a model for developing volunteer programs and hosting site visitors.  Volunteer programs are integral to operating a Center.  A comprehensive Volunteer Program with set policies and procedures can address needs and gaps at a Center.  Volunteers and interns can be utilized to fulfill certain roles and responsibilities in which there is no available funding for paid staff members.

The San Diego FJC also assisted with outlining procedures for hosting site visitors.  Hosting site visits is tied very closely to marketing, outreach, awareness and ultimately the sustainability of a Center.  Planning for an open house or site visit can be very time consuming.  A “Site Visitors Toolkit” was created to assist sites with the purpose, preparation, and execution of hosting site visitors.  San Diego actively participated in the CFJI Advisory Committee.  Capt. Lori Luhnow did an excellent job of providing her perspective of the lessons learned in her Center's continual development and evolution.