Domestic Violence Shelter officially opens in Ventura
County and state leaders gathered on April 6 to cut the ribbon and officially open the new Domestic Violence Shelter located at the Ventura County Family Justice Center at 3170 Loma Vista Road in Ventura.
Attending the opening were Ventura County Supervisors Jeff Gorell, Kelly Long and Vianey Lopez, along with Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, Congressman Salud Carbajal, and Ventura County CEO Sevet Johnson, among several other local leaders.
The new 1,500-square-foot shelter will provide six bedrooms and four pallet shelters, making a total of 10 beds, for those in need of immediate domestic violence support throughout the county.
“Today, we didn’t just open a building — we opened a door to safety, support, and a path forward,” said Supervisor Gorell in a statement shared to social media. “The grand opening of the Ventura County Family Justice Center Domestic Violence Shelter reflects our County’s commitment to removing barriers and ensuring survivors of domestic violence have access to the care and resources they need.”
Support staff will be onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and operations are expected to cost $601,109 for two years, which will be covered by the remaining Economic Development Initiative grant funds.
Staffing includes one onsite full-time housing manager, two onsite full-time client specialists, two onsite full-time support staff members, one marriage and family therapist, and other staff as needed, as well as an onsite private security guard present Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Before this facility, there were only 24 dedicated domestic violence emergency shelter beds serving all of Ventura County, according to the District Attorney’s Office. And based on data provided by the Family Justice Center, there are roughly 7,000 allegations of domestic violence each year in Ventura County.
In addition to this Family Justice Center location, the Carmen Ramirez Center is open in Oxnard, and an additional Family Justice Center is planned for East County.
“The Family Justice Center brings services, support and understanding to our victims, survivors, and their families,” said DA Erik Nasarenko in a statement. “It is both a center for healing and for creating positive changes for the residents we serve.”
More information on the centers, as well as the new domestic violence shelter, is available at: fjc.venturacounty.gov