Women & Children First has begun the planning process for a Family Peace Center in Little Rock with the help of the Family Justice Center Alliance, a project of Alliance for HOPE International. The center will help survivors of family violence and their families find the resources and support they need at one location. Over the past two years, WCF toured Family Peace Centers across the country to learn best practices and have secured a location in Little Rock to build their own.
“When a community starts the process of a Family Peace Center, it says to all victims that we care and we are here for you for the long haul. The Family Peace Center model is the leading intervention and prevention model in America. It is a public-private partnership that brings the best a community has to offer,” said Casey Gwinn, president of Alliance for HOPE International.
The first Family Peace Center was created in San Diego, California, in 2002 by the San Diego City Attorney and the San Diego Police Department. The model has since become the standard in the field of domestic violence intervention and prevention and endorsed by many local and state agencies and elected officials.
WCF will meet virtually in August in the first step in the planning process for creating the Little Rock center, bringing together local elected officials, policy makers and government and community-based agencies to learn about the model from the San Diego team.
“The Study Tour in August and the Strategic Planning Meeting in January 2021 will help make Little Rock’s dream for a Family Peace Center become a reality. But it will need all the stakeholders to come together to DREAM BIG and create a shared vision unique to Little Rock,” said Gael Strack, Alliance CEO and director of the first Family Peace Center in the country.
To learn more about the Little Rock Family Peace Center, visit the WCF website.