A Family Justice Center near you is a free, walk-in location where survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, and related abuse can meet with police, prosecutors, legal aid attorneys, advocates, and counselors under one roof. To find the closest one, search the national directory at allianceforhope.org or type your county or city name plus “Family Justice Center” into a search engine. Most centers accept walk-ins Monday through Friday during business hours, and no appointment or police report is required.
How to Find a Center Near You
Family Justice Centers are organized at the county or city level, so what exists near you depends on your location.
- Search your county or city name plus “Family Justice Center.” Most centers maintain their own site with addresses, hours, and the specific services they offer.
- Use the national directory maintained by the Alliance for HOPE International, the organization behind the FJC movement, at allianceforhope.org.
If nothing comes up nearby, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Advocates can tell you what resources exist in your area even when no formal center is close by.
What You Can Walk In and Ask For
The point of the model is that you don’t travel between a police station, a courthouse, a legal aid office, and a counselor. Everyone works in the same building, and one advocate stays with you so you aren’t repeating your story to each new professional.1U.S. Department of Justice. The President’s Family Justice Center Initiative Best Practices The specific menu varies, but centers consistently offer:
- Police officers who can take a formal report and begin an investigation on-site, plus prosecutors or victim-witness coordinators who explain the criminal process. Some centers also have probation officers available when an abuser is already under court supervision.1U.S. Department of Justice. The President’s Family Justice Center Initiative Best Practices
- Victim advocates who assess immediate danger, build a safety plan, and often use a formal lethality assessment to flag the highest-risk situations.
- Legal help with protective orders (sometimes called restraining orders), including on-site filing and, at some centers, video conferencing with the courthouse for emergency orders. Legal assistance often extends to custody, divorce, housing, and immigration. Filing fees for protective orders are waived in domestic violence cases in most jurisdictions.
- Trauma-informed counseling for adults and children. Some centers have medical staff who can assess and document injuries, including strangulation and traumatic brain injury. When a sexual assault evidence collection kit is needed, the center coordinates with trained clinicians who conduct the forensic exam, document injuries, and provide referrals for pregnancy prevention and STI treatment.2Department of Justice. Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination SAFE Information
- Connections to shelter, food, clothing, and public benefits. Advocates can help you apply for Emergency Housing Vouchers through HUD, which are designed for people who are homeless or fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or trafficking. Voucher availability is very limited, since most local housing authorities have exhausted their initial allocations, but there is no cost to having an advocate check.3U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Emergency Housing Vouchers
Many centers also provide supervised play areas so parents can meet privately with staff.
Who Can Use These Centers
Family Justice Centers primarily serve survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. Abuse does not have to be physical. Financial control, coercion, stalking, and psychological manipulation all fall within the scope.
Most centers also serve victims of child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking.1U.S. Department of Justice. The President’s Family Justice Center Initiative Best Practices For child victims and witnesses, centers often coordinate with Children’s Advocacy Centers, which specialize in forensic interviewing designed to minimize further trauma.
Services are available regardless of immigration status or gender, and regardless of whether you choose to pursue criminal charges. You do not need a police report to walk in.
Everything Is Free
Services at a Family Justice Center cost nothing. Programs that receive federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding are required to provide direct services at no charge to crime victims, which covers advocacy, safety planning, legal consultations, counseling, and help accessing other resources.4Office for Victims of Crime. VOCApedia – Victims of Crime Act VOCA Administrators You will not receive a bill.
Advocates can also help you file for state crime victim compensation, which reimburses out-of-pocket expenses like medical bills, mental health counseling, lost wages, relocation, and funeral costs. Most states allow up to two years to file, and processing takes 30 to 90 days on average. Maximum awards vary by state.
For longer-term protection, many states run address confidentiality programs that assign survivors a substitute mailing address for driver’s licenses, voter registration, school enrollment, and other public records. Center advocates can walk you through enrollment.
Your Privacy at the Center
If you are worried an abuser will find out you asked for help, federal law speaks directly to that fear. Under the Violence Against Women Act, any program receiving VAWA funding is prohibited from disclosing personally identifying information collected during services, including the fact that you came in at all.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 34 – 12291 The center cannot share your information with other agencies, with the abuser, or with the abuser’s family.
The only exceptions involve court orders or statutory mandates, and even then the program must try to notify you first and take steps to protect your safety. You can never be required to consent to information sharing as a condition of receiving services.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 34 – 12291 Programs that violate these requirements risk losing federal funding.
Inside the center, co-located agencies coordinate through shared case meetings and internal referrals only with your informed, written, time-limited consent. Law enforcement and prosecution staff may share information needed for criminal proceedings, but that exchange stays within the justice system.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
Most centers accept walk-ins during standard weekday business hours, Monday through Friday, with no appointment needed. You do not need to bring anything. If you can safely gather identification, financial records, protective orders, or medical records before your visit, those documents can speed up legal and administrative work. If you have nothing, the center will still serve you. Advocates work with people who arrive with only the clothes they’re wearing.
Centers that receive federal funding must provide free language interpretation for people with limited English proficiency, and many advertise services in any language. Disability accommodations, including sign language interpreters and assistive devices, are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Security is built into the design. Protocols commonly include controlled building access, staff identification badges, restricted-access areas, and specific plans for responding if a suspect or defendant shows up. If you have a specific concern, such as fear of being followed, call ahead and an advocate can help plan a safe way to arrive.
If you cannot visit in person, many centers offer phone-based advocacy and safety planning, and some provide video conferencing for specific services, including court hearings for emergency protective orders. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also available 24/7 by phone at 1-800-799-7233, by text (send START to 88788), or by live online chat at thehotline.org. These services are free and confidential.