The grand opening of the Knoxville Family Justice Center was celebrated today as a place where those affected by family violence can more easily access the caring assistance they need to cope with and leave abusive situations.

 The center is a one-stop resource center, the result of collaboration among 63 agencies in Knoxville, including those focused on social services, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. "Those who need help will find it easier to get at the Knoxville Family Justice Center, which provides one telephone number and one place for service to make it easier for those who need help to get it," said Randy Nichols, Knox County district attorney general and member of the center's executive board. "In addition, the center makes it easier for agencies to provide help in efficient and effective ways through continued cooperation and collaboration."Added Mayor Bill Haslam, "Our hope is that by creating this center victims will receive better service, be less frustrated and less likely to return to an abusive relationship and we can begin to end the cycle of violence."

The Knoxville Family Justice Center was one of only 15 nationwide out of 400 applications to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. The center is based on a highly successful system developed and now in place in San Diego, Calif. Knoxville was the only Tennessee city and one of the smaller communities to receive the $1 million because of its history of collaboration among agencies to end the cycle of domestic violence.

Family violence is a Knoxville community problem with local law enforcement responding to nearly 17,000 calls in 2005 - for an average of 46 per day - and more than 2,000 orders of protection were issued. Three domestic violence homicides were recorded in 2004. The center will have nine agencies on-site including Child and Family Tennessee, the Community Coalition on Family Violence, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the Salvation Army, YWCA, the Knoxville Police Department and Knox County District Attorney, Probation, and Sheriff's Offices. Dozens more local government and non-profit agencies are serving as off-site partners.