Richmond plans new Family Justice Center

Richmond officials are planning a Family Justice Center that would put domestic violence and other victim services in one place instead of sending survivors across the city. (wric.com) The push gained urgency after Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said the city usually sees about 45 felony domestic violence cases a year, but had already reached 56 by June 2025. Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin has backed the center as part of the city’s response. (wric.com) The proposed center would bring legal assistance, health care, emergency housing help and victim advocacy under one roof. A strategic planning process was underway in July 2025, with city leaders and advocates seeking community feedback while funding was still unresolved. (wric.com) Family Justice Centers are built around a simple idea: survivors should not have to repeat the same account to police, prosecutors, counselors and social workers in different offices. The Family Justice Center Alliance says the model uses co-located services to cut down on travel between agencies and reduce repeated retelling of abuse. (allianceforhope.org) (domesticshelters.org) That structure fits Richmond’s broader violence-prevention strategy, which Mayor Danny Avula’s administration describes as a citywide effort to reduce violent crime, support healing and eliminate silos across agencies and partners. The city’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention says its fiscal 2026 Safer Communities Grant is meant to coordinate prevention, crisis response and behavioral health support. (rva.gov) Richmond already has a large nonprofit provider serving survivors. YWCA Richmond says its services are free and confidential, and its regional EmpowerNet hotline answered 14,637 calls in its 2025 impact report. (ywcarichmond.org) The city and state also have funding channels that could connect to the project, but none amounts to a finished center yet. Virginia’s Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund can support local governments, law enforcement agencies, victim-service programs and civil legal assistance providers. (dcjs.virginia.gov) Richmond City Council’s budget debates in April 2025 showed how tight that funding environment is. Council added $480,000 to the Family Crisis Fund on top of the $520,000 Mayor Avula proposed, while weighing other legal-aid and shelter priorities inside a balanced $3 billion budget. (vpm.org) For now, Richmond has support from the YWCA, police leadership and former Mayor Levar Stoney, but officials still need money and a site before the center can open. Until then, the city’s plan remains a promise to make help easier to reach in the middle of a crisis. (wric.com)