New Family Justice Center Opens Near Eastgate

The fourth Family Justice Center in Tennessee opened on Wednesday in Chattanooga to much fanfare from community members and advocacy groups with comments from Executive Director Valerie Radu, Mayor Andy Berke and City Council Chair Carol Berz among others.

     

Ms.

Berz, who has been an advocate for the establishment of such a facility to unite agencies focused on assisting victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, said “It’s finally happening.”

     

She also said, “These aren’t Republican or Democrat issues, these are human issues.”

 

The new center, which will be located at 5741 Cornelison Road at Eastgate will help bring together separate groups under one roof that are already working together to serve victims of domestic violence. The collective agencies will help provide everything from legal aid to counselling to financial planning assistance to victims who are often in need of a wide range of support.

 

A study conducted by TBI last year found that 51 percent of crimes in Tennessee are tied to family violence and Tennessee itself is ranked dangerously high by that agency with the sixth most domestic violence cases of any state.

 

Mayor Berke emphasized the importance of the newly opened center saying that this is not just a women’s or children’s issue, but a community issue that can have dramatic social and economic impacts. He also said that one in three women in Tennessee will experience some kind of domestic violence from their partner.

 

He told the audience about a particular case of domestic violence in the last year where a woman was accused of infidelity by her boyfriend before he nearly strangled her to death. The support needed after such an event are varied and complicated, impossible to solve overnight, which is why he supports the new facility and its comprehensive services.

 

Mayor Berke said he envisions a “One-stop shop” for victims looking for free support and hopes that there will be a dramatic increase in reported cases of violence with the new facility. The FJC is one facet of Governor Bill Haslam’s Public Safety Action Plan and the Chattanooga building is following in the footsteps of previously established centers in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville with yet another being opened in Cookeville.

 

The center is currently operating out of a temporary headquarters on Cornelison Road, but the new facility which will be over 40,000 square feet is scheduled for completion in early 2016. While the new building is still being constructed, victims of domestic violence are still encouraged to contact the FJC, which is fully operational.