Originally Published on The Town Talk (Part of the USA Today Network)
http://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/local/2016/10/21/ending-domestic-violence-what-community-doing/91877304/
Editor’s note: This story is the last in an eight-day series on domestic violence in Central Louisiana.
A coordinated response to Central Louisiana’s domestic violence problem has the real potential to make a difference.
The Family Justice Center of Central Louisiana, which has been years in the making, will be fully operational in a renovated building in the coming months.
Modeled after Family Justice Centers elsewhere in the state and the nation, the organization employs a few workers and primarily aims to foster collaboration among other agencies and help survivors navigate the justice system. It has been called, by the United States Department of Justice, “a best practice in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention services.”
“It’s going to give victims in Central Louisiana more options, and that’s what is important because not everybody needs a shelter,” Valerie Bowman said. “This is an opportunity to make change and change that works.”
Bowman is director of The Wellspring Domestic Violence Program and the state’s first Family Justice Center of Ouachita Parish. The agency opened 11 years ago, and within a decade, domestic abuse homicides in the Northeast Louisiana region dropped 70 percent.
“What we’re doing together is working and saving lives,” Bowman said.
Preston Mansour, an attorney and former 9th Judicial District Court hearing officer, has been appointed as director of the Family Justice Center of Central Louisiana.
Those partners include Faith House advocates, a detective from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, a victims assistance coordinator and prosecutor from the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office, NextSTEP of Central La. and more in the future.
While the services from each agency have been available, Mansour said, working from a central location has proven to have advantages for those looking for help and those trying to offer help as well.
Individuals in an abusive situation “may want Faith House services; they may want advocacy; they may want a protective order,” Mansour said. The Family Justice Center can offer that and more in a one-stop shop.
In addition to offices, there will be intake rooms for survivors and a supervised children’s area.
Mansour said survivors of domestic abuse also need a way to “navigate the system easier,” especially if they are in a fragile state.
“Justice moves so slowly,” Mansour said. “It’s so chaotic and there’s so many places you have to go in order to get anything done. If we show them (victims) a system that runs smooth and where options are available, they will be less likely to recant their stories. They’ll be more likely to engage, participate and feel comfortable.”
Since opening in a temporary location on Murray Street, the Family Justice Center has kept a relatively low profile before hitting the ground running. In the near future, a renovated 4,500-square foot facility leased by the United Way of Central Louisiana and a few more bodies will help serve more of the region.
The Family Justice Center already has served 183 adults and 61 children (between May 16 and August 16 ), and Mansour is confident those numbers will only grow, especially as word about the agency spreads outside Rapides.
“We really want to be as quickly as possible (of service) to all Central Louisiana parishes,” said David Britt, a Family Justice Center board member.
Britt, president of the United Way of Central Louisiana, and board chairman John Davidson are among a handful of individuals who have dealt with domestic abuse cases in their professional capacities and whose brainstorming led to the decision to form a Family Justice Center of Central Louisiana.
“I think the Family Justice Center is an indication (that) not just Rapides, because it’s designed to serve Central Louisiana, wants to put up and address the problem,” said Davidson, a 9th Judicial District judge.
“It’s a problem that can be addressed,” he added.
Years ago, Turning Point Battered Women’s Shelter in Alexandria served women and children in the region. When it closed, Britt said, “we all wondered what we would do.”
“The group decided we don’t want to find an empty building and throw some cots in it, because that’s not doing the job,” he said.
If a situation is to the point where someone needs shelter, the Family Justice Center can help. But in general, the agency “works better for clients, the community, and it’s cheaper than a shelter,” Britt said.
Bowman said the presence and work of a Family Justice Center will also help the community hold offenders in domestic abuse situations accountable.
“I think you’ll see batterers realize the community is taking a stand and taking domestic violence seriously, and when they take domestic violence seriously, you’re going to see a reduction in abuse,” Bowman said.
“People here realize our community’s not going to take this anymore,” she said. “We’re going to help these victims and see that they’re supported and walk with them through this tragic situation.”
Mansour said the agency wants to “tell the abuser that you don’t get your first punch for free … You’re not going to get away with this the first time.”
“I don’t think you should wait for (abuse) to happen five or six times,” he said. “Show them that that first one is going to be dealt with swiftly.”
Mansour said “it’s people that have to do the work” to make the Family Justice Center a success, but he is optimistic about the impact it will have in Central Louisiana.
“It may not happen for five or 10 years, but I do think things will change.”
How to report domestic violence
Domestic violence can be reported by the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence hotline at 1-888-411-1333 or the national hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
Child abuse and neglect can be reported to the state Department of Child and Family Services at 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437).