One-stop support for domestic abuse victims

Vidya Rao

Getting away from an abusive partner is no small task, especially in Boston.

Besides the obvious fear and emotional strain, victims who decide to leave their abusers must make a number of difficult trips: to the police department to file a report, to the hospital for medical care, to another area to acquire legal services, and others. For someone who has limited time, may be carting around small children and has to take multiple trains and buses, this can be next to impossible.

But Margot Hill and the Family Justice Center will soon change that.

The Family Justice Center is a multi-service station that houses the domestic violence, sexual assault and crimes against children police units, as well as several city, state and private agencies that serve and refer victims. Deputy Superintendent Hill, who heads the police division run out of the Family Justice Center, saw the need for bringing such a collaborative partnership to Boston.

“There are many services available to victims of domestic abuse, but Boston has lacked a humane way for them to access these services,” says Hill.

She discussed the creation of a justice center with Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole, who agreed that such an effort could be a long-term strategy to reduce both domestic and youth violence.

“This whole thing is about saving people steps,” says Hill. “We can get the kids and the whole family treated. The whole family needs to be cared for to stop the cycle [of violence].”

In 2004, the city of Boston was one of 15 sites awarded a grant from the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative, which provided $1 million to develop multi-service justice centers as nonprofit organizations governed by local community members.

The center, located in the former Boston Business School building, provides immediate resources for victims such as police assistance, medical care and a fully stocked cafeteria. There are also services for long-term rehabilitation, including a financial advisor to help victims, who often do not leave their abusers because of financial dependency, to become self-sufficient.

Another service is the Noah’s Arc program, which, through its parent program Link Up Education, has an available list of confidential veterinarians who will foster care victims’ pets until they are settled in a safe environment. This encourages many victims who are unable or unwilling to leave pets behind when fleeing an abusive relationship. A faith-based program will counsel victims on coming to terms with leaving their partners from a religious perspective.

“Many women worry about breaking up their families [when] leaving their abusers. We have people that can explain to them that once abuse starts happening, all bets are off with the marriage and that it is not against their religion to leave,” explains Hill.

Through this program, 1500 church members have been intensively trained on recognizing the signs of domestic abuse and supporting victims.

The Family Justice Center will house many other agencies, including the Children’s Advocacy Center, Victim Rights Law Center, Human Trafficking Task Force, Boston Rape Crisis Center and Dress for Success. Nine district social workers will rotate one day per week in the center, and a myriad of top medical and professional experts from around the country, including a pediatric sexual assault nurse examiner, will also be available.

The center was developed with the victim in mind. In order to access the multitude of services provided by the center, a victim does not even need to file a police report.

“We understand that the legal route is not right for everyone,” says Hill. “But we want them to come and get the help they need — fear is the biggest barrier to getting help.”

There are also no offenders onsite, which victims may view as a welcome change from district offices where, due to limited space, a victim may come in to file a report while an offender is being questioned or carted away in the same area.

The center is meant not only to help victims, but police and other service providers as well. The building has several police interview rooms, some of which have been specifically designed for children to answer sensitive questions about sexual abuse.

Having so many organizations housed in the same building not only benefits service providers by offering easier access for referrals, but also police officers, who are afforded the space and resources to do their jobs while still remaining receptive to the privacy needs of victims. Detective Maryann Riva, who worked on domestic violence cases in Roxbury for ten years and has been a Boston police officer for 19 years, has seen a huge difference between working at the district and working at the Justice Center, where she started in January.

“We were very busy in Roxbury. We would have to meet victims in Roxbury Court because there was no room and no privacy in the district office,” Marianne said. She explains that three domestic violence detectives would handle caseloads of more than 350 each month in Roxbury, making it difficult to follow up with victims, especially those who decided against filing a report about the abuse.

Hill and others in the community have worked very hard to ensure that this will not be the case with victims who come to the center. Local law firms and furniture stores have donated comfortable furniture, and Stop & Shop will donate food for the cafeteria for one full year.

Though several people have already moved into their offices and begun working, the Family Justice Center will officially open on June 13.

“This is where it starts,” says Hill. “Everyone who has walked through these doors has an idea of where the Justice Center can go and more services that it can provide. Victims can leave with the knowledge that they are not alone, they have a huge team behind them.”