Queens Tribune

Just as domestic violence isn’t limited to one group of people, relief from domestic violence cannot be provided by one group. And so the City is opening Family Justice Centers that offer comprehensive support and counseling services for domestic violence victims. The first center opened in Brooklyn in July 2005. The $5 million Queens center held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

“The Family Justice Center will allow the victims of domestic violence and their families to find all of the help that they need at this one central location,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “It will save them precious time and reduce the emotional and physical wear and tear on their lives as they seek the counseling and support and legal resources that they deserve.”

Mayor Mike Bloomberg hopes the deserving people of Queens will visit the center.

“Nothing is worth jeopardizing your life and the lives of your children,” Bloomberg said. “It would be such sin not to take advantage of this wonderful facility.”

According to the DA, the need for services in Queens is there. The DA’s office’s Domestic Violence Bureau, which was established with the help of a federal government grant, handles 5,000 cases a year and takes more pre-indictment felony pleas in domestic violence cases than the rest of the City combined.

“We have the lowest dismissal rate in the city and the highest conviction rate,” Brown said. “Indeed, the current conviction rate for felony domestic violence cases here in Queens is 94 percent.”

A representative from the U.S. Department of Justice said the federal government is set to contribute an additional $1.1 million to the Family Justice Center.

Children who accompany their parents to the center will have a place to play and receive counseling. The Safe at Home Foundation, started by former Yankee’s manager, now Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, will be on site with “Margaret’s Place,” which Torre describes as a place where youngsters can share their experiences with other youngsters and mental health professionals.

Borough President Helen Marshall said the Center would be equipped to handle the borough’s diverse needs.

“Language will not be a hindrance,” Marshall said. “Take comfort in knowing regardless of primary language or immigration status you will be assisted.”

Should a client speak a language other than the nine languages spoken by the center’s case managers, further interpretive services will be made available.

There were 48 family related homicides in 2007, with 16 occurring in Brooklyn, 14 in Queens and 8 in the Bronx. Last year in Queens there were 45,500 reported incidents of domestic violence - representing 21 percent of all reported incidents citywide.

When the first Family Justice Center opened in Brooklyn, Yolanda B Jimenez, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, visited the facility to ask the women what else they needed.

“They said, ‘we need more time,’” Jimenez relayed. “[These centers] will give them the time they need to heal.”

And when Jimenez was asked when the Bronx could expect to receive its very own Family Justice Center, she had a witty response: “We need more time.”

Bloomberg then quickly jumped in with, “No we don’t.”

The Bronx center is scheduled to open in 2009.

The Queens Family Justice Center is located at 126-02 82nd Ave. in Kew Gardens. Clients may walk-in to the FJC for services anytime Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. No appointment necessary.