Pinellas County home to Florida's only family justice center for domestic violence survivors

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County is now home to Florida’s only family justice center for domestic violence survivors, putting everything they need for support services all under one roof.

The Family Justice Center by Community Action Stops Abuse opened its new center Wednesday. 

"Survivors would come here, they’d get their resources, and then we’d refer them out to basically all the partners we have," said Sarah Broderick, the senior programs' manager at CASA. "But now all the partners are in one building, so it really breaks down the barriers of survivors having to go to 100 different places. They can just see them right in one place."

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The building includes waiting rooms, playrooms and more for areas of support.

"We have 12 partners on site, from mental health, to rape exams to strangulation exams, the state attorney’s office, all of these partners that are here to provide immediate services to the survivor," said Lariana Forsyth, the chief executive officer at CASA.

Forsyth said Pinellas County constantly ranks in the top five in Florida for domestic violence.

"The family justice center will start to really reduce those numbers. That’s what we’ve seen from the 150 family justice centers throughout the country," said Forsyth. "Pinellas County is a county that is growing rapidly. We have so many people moving into the county and so domestic violence numbers continue to grow."

St. Petersburg police said they often see survivors struggle.

"A barrier has been getting all of those together without the survivors missing time from work, childcare needs, financial needs," said Maj. Mark Hensley of the St. Petersburg Police Department. "I can’t even claim to understand the million things that must be going through a survivor’s mind at one time, childcare, financial, support, housing, friends, employment. There’s so much to it that the hope is that it all just comes together for them when they walk through this one door."

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The center helps support those needs, so survivors only have to tell their story once or twice in one place.

"I think that having our officer stationed here at the family justice center in coordination in that calmer, organized environment is definitely going to help us reach more survivors," said Hensley. "To take away those barriers of not being able to go forward with prosecution is a huge one, not being able to finish out that process, and allowing us to support them as much as possible through that process."

During domestic violence awareness month in October, that message is key, especially for Jeffrey Plummer who attended Wednesday’s opening of the new center.

"Over 15 years ago, my sister was a victim of domestic violence and was murdered by her husband. Although it took seven years of sort of healing, around that time we started getting involved with CASA," said Plummer, whose sister Stacey J. Plummer, a Tierra Verde attorney, was killed.

Working to turn his family’s tragedy into something positive, Plummer said he hopes other victims of domestic violence know help is available.

"I think everyone would be surprised to know how common this is, and that it’s okay to talk about it and get the help. It’s not something to be embarrassed about," said Plummer.

CASA’s CEO said the center was seven years in the making, and they hope more places will take on the idea. St. Pete police and the state attorney said the center will help prosecute cases and allow survivors to feel involved and supported along the way.