A county . . . may establish a multiagency, multidisciplinary family justice center to assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abuse, and human trafficking, to ensure that victims of abuse are able to access all needed services in one location in order to enhance victim safety, increase offender accountability, and improve access to services.
—Family Justice Centers, California Penal Code 13750
Solano County has a long history of bringing together multiple public and private service agencies to support survivors of interpersonal violence. The Solano County Board of Supervisors established the Office of Family Violence Prevention (OFVP) in 1998. OFVP originally focused on three separate projects to better serve families: Court Appointed Special Advocates, a Family Violence Intervention Team, and Safe From The Start (reducing children’s exposure to family violence).
As OFVP served families through this framework, the Board of Supervisors kept researching best practices for coordinated, collaborative ways to reduce family violence. In 2007 the Board asked OFVP to explore establishing a county Family Justice Center. OFVP conducted a feasibility study and strategic planning with input from 60+ stakeholders. With this community feedback, OFVP made a plan that prioritized services victims needed most. Center partners secured start-up funds from state and private sources.
The SFJC began operating in February 2011 as a one-stop, multi-service center under the auspices of the Solano County District Attorney and OFVP. Its goal was to offer victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and sexual assault an opportunity to secure justice and build hope and new futures while reducing the stress of seeking services from multiple agencies across Solano County. In 2013, the SFJC and its partners began serving families from the current location at 604 Empire Street in Fairfield.
In 2021, a new initiative began to assess how best to continue the Family Justice model in Solano County. An advisory committee recommended that a lead agency outside the County governmental structure operate the Center. In January 2023, the Family Justice Center – Solano launched a new affiliation with the Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance, a well-established non-profit agency operating three Family Justice Centers in neighboring Contra Costa County. This new affiliation will allow the Family Justice Center – Solano to build an expanded network of community support for Solano County families seeking justice and healing from violence.
