One Place Metro Birmingham Family Justice Center receives national designation

Each year more than 10 million women and men in America experience physical violence at the hands of a current or former intimate partner, according to the 2012 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

However, at One Place Metro Birmingham Family Justice Center, founded in 2014, victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence can find the coordinated legal and social services they need in one location.

Those services are provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office, the city of Birmingham, the Birmingham Police Department, YWCA Central Alabama and the Crisis Center Inc.

And in late September, One Place was named an affiliated Family Justice Center by Alliance for HOPE International in San Diego, one of the nation’s leading domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and intervention organizations, according to a One Place news release.

One Place is now one of only 33 such centers in the United States.

“The opportunity to become an affiliated Family Justice Center and to have access to resources available through Alliance for HOPE International will help us and our community partners to serve survivors in a trauma-informed manner,” said Allison Dearing, One Place executive director.

Casey Gwinn, co-founder of the family justice center movement, presented One Place with its certificate during a planning session at the facility in September. The session, attended by about 50 people, was facilitated by experts from The Alliance for HOPE International.

To become an affiliated Family Justice Center, a facility must have a centralized intake process and full-time, co-located partner agencies, including community organizations, law enforcement, a specialized prosecution unit and legal services.

“Our model is focused on reducing the number of times a survivor has to tell their story and the number of places they must go for help as they work to reclaim their lives,” said Julie Wall Khoury, president of the One Place board of directors.

The facility seeks to help survivors and their families and ease the trauma of victims. “One Place provides power to people who once believed that someone else determined their fate,” Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr said.

Located at 1135 14th Ave. S. near UAB, One Place is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and walk-ins are welcome.

For more information, call 205-453-7261 or go to oneplacebirmingham.com.