Bill Text: VA HR211 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Norfolk Family Justice Center.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed House (HR211ER) [HR211 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR211-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for five years, the Norfolk Family Justice Center has provided victims of trauma with comprehensive support by co-locating a wide range of programs and services to ensure that individuals receive the care and resources they need in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS, established in 2019, the Norfolk Family Justice Center is a multi-agency collaboration that provides centralized access to public and private services and was the first such center in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the Norfolk Family Justice Center has since served more than 10,000 individuals, addressing both immediate and long-term needs of crime victims, particularly victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and
WHEREAS, the trauma-informed care professionals at the Norfolk Family Justice Center are available to contact 24 hours a day to ensure that appropriate assistance is available as soon as possible; and
WHEREAS, the Norfolk Family Justice Center co-locates law-enforcement officers, prosecutors, civil legal attorneys, victim-witness advocates, social service specialists, and staff from culturally specific organizations and faith-based organizations; and
WHEREAS, the Norfolk Family Justice Center maintains a staff of medical professionals trained to care for sexual assault victims and created one of the first forensic programs in the Commonwealth to provide strangulation forensic exams; and
WHEREAS, the Norfolk Family Justice Center's victim services include a crisis hotline and intervention support, counseling, support groups, wellness classes, educational resources, employment resources, housing resources, and childcare assistance; the center also established a domestic violence high-risk team to reduce instances of homicide between intimate partners; and
WHEREAS, outside of its normal operations, the Norfolk Family Justice Center worked with the Norfolk Sheriff's Office and other community partners to establish Camp HOPE, which operates a summer camp and regular activities for children who have been affected by violence; and
WHEREAS, the Norfolk Family Justice Center has successfully improved safety, enhanced access to critical services, and ensured higher offender accountability in the Norfolk community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Norfolk Family Justice Center hereby be commended on the occasion of its fifth anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Norfolk Family Justice Center as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's achievements in providing vital services to victims of trauma in need of immediate and lasting support.
