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Contra Costa Family Justice Center opens Danville site; director tells Lafayette council funding and staffing rely heavily on federal and county sources
Summary
Mireille Lafont, site director for Contra Costa County’s Family Justice Center, briefed the Lafayette City Council on the center’s services, new Danville location and funding sources. The center offers integrated services for victims of crime and said about 65% of its funding is federal and that Measure X supported the Danville opening.
Mireille Lafont, site director for the Central and South Family Justice Center, told the Lafayette City Council on Monday that the nonprofit countywide network has opened a new Danville location and provides centralized, multi‑agency services for victims of violent and abuse‑related crimes.
“Family Justice Center is legislated in California penal code,” Lafont said, describing the center as a multidisciplinary hub where victims can access emergency housing, safety planning, family‑law assistance, counseling and other services. Lafont said navigators at the center make “warm” connections — placing calls or connecting clients directly to partner agencies while the victim remains in the office or on a secure call.
Lafont described the center’s South County operations as culturally staffed with navigators who speak Spanish, Farsi, Chinese and Arabic. She said partners on site include law enforcement, county and city agencies, nonprofit partners and legal services. The Family Justice Center network operates four locations across Contra Costa County: Concord, Danville, Antioch and Richmond.
Council members asked about funding. Lafont said the Danville center opening was supported by Measure X county funds and that roughly 65% of the center’s overall funding comes from federal sources that the director said are at risk in the current funding climate. She told the council the county provided funding to open the Danville center and “we received 2,000,000” to support operations and staff at the new site; the council asked staff and the director to follow up with more specific budget documentation.
Council members thanked Lafont for the overview and expressed support for continued collaboration between the Family Justice Center and local agencies. The center requested no formal action from the council at Monday’s meeting.
Lafont closed by inviting the council to help publicize the center’s services and to coordinate on referrals; she said center services are free and available to anyone who is a victim of crime.
