- Murphy, Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the road region rising.

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- And now Rob on the road exploring Northern California.

- The Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center is a gem in our region.

It saves lives, it saves families, it saves people in need and dramatic and terrible times in their lives, but it also has good news because it helps bring people together in all forms.

Joining me now is the director and the CEO, Cristin Fiorelli.

It's great to see you, Cristin.

Thanks for being here.

- Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here with you, Rob.

Thank you.

- Thrilled to have you join us.

Tell us about, and I just gave a very brief generic description because I want to hear it from you.

Tell us about your mission at the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center.

- Yeah, the Family Justice Center.

We provide collaborative services, and most of all, we offer hope to victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse.

And we are striving to ensure, first and foremost, the victims find safety, that they can find autonomy, and that they can have reduced fear and anxiety and really move to a place of hope and healing after among the most traumatic experiences of their lives.

And we, frankly, we're part of a movement.

We're one of 150 family justice centers around this nation, almost 30, and growing in California.

And we're doing this work together with so many partners in our community to be able to support survivors.

- That's fantastic.

When people hear about what you do, because I've seen it happen, they are in awe.

They find it hard to believe that they can find so much help under one roof protection, restraining orders, counseling, protection for the entire family that could be at risk.

And ultimately it saves lives because when you bring all of the spokes of a wheel together, you can get things done quicker.

So if someone's hearing this and they're facing the things you listed, domestic violence, human trafficking, elder abuse, what do they need to do?

- They simply need to reach out to us or any of our many partners.

So we are open every day, five days a week, and someone does not need an appointment.

That's the beauty of this.

They don't need, there's gonna be no questions asked.

If they come to our center, there's no worries or questions about immigration status, whatever language they're speaking, we have interpretation.

And they come and we say, as long as you can get to us, we will support you from there.

So they come to us and the first thing that we do is we connect them with a case manager, an advocate, a social worker to tell their story.

And that's the beauty of a family justice center.

They can tell their story one time, they can be heard and believed, and first and foremost, we're gonna focus on their safety.

Right?

So that case manager that's working with them, that's listening to their story is gonna help them understand the level of danger they may be in.

We do something called a danger assessment.

Oftentimes, victims can't believe the level of danger they're in, and we're gonna help them plan for their own safety.

And I think, I mean, I wanna really highlight the danger piece here, Rob, because domestic violence, homicides are rising incredibly over 20% in 10 years, right?

There's a lot -- high risk domestic violence cases that involve gun violence.

And increasingly we're learning, there's a lot of strangulation that has incredible health repercussions to victims.

You know, almost 70% of the clients who come here experience strangulation.

So we are meeting with people who are in a lot of danger, and we wanna bring them to a place of safety first, right before we then can offer them all the services they may need.

Right?

From our family law attorney and legal advocates right here in our building.

They can get a restraining order, they can be working with our folks on the housing team to get emergency shelter for a few nights and then move into more permanent housing.

They can get services for their children, counseling and opportunities for mentorship and camps.

So all of those things are happening, and it just starts with coming to our center.

And frankly, if they can't come, we will go to them.

We will travel to wherever the client needs us to be, to be able to bring them to safety and start offering those services.

- Three important things I heard during that wonderful explanation and call to action from you that I wanna touch on first.

Where are you located?

- Yeah, we are at 3701 Power Inn Road.

We're right across from the family courthouse, and we are open from 8:30 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.

No appointment needed.

- And when you walk in the lobby, there is, there are immediately guards there.

- Yeah, - I've been there.

And you go in and you, you, you immediately can say why you're there, especially if you need protection or concern.

That why you're going there could have been known when some by someone else.

- Sure.

We need to ensure everyone's safety.

They need to feel like the minute they walk in the door, they're safe, they come on over to our office and if there's ever any worry about safety, we're gonna work with, you know, the sheriffs who are downstairs and anyone else we need to, to ensure that the minute they walk in, they're in a safe place.

- Cristin, you mentioned strangulation.

- Yeah.

- And I... think it's important to define that - Yes.

- Because we all know what it means, but I think when it comes to domestic violence, you need to hear these words.

Tell me what you have learned about strangulation and the connection to extreme danger.

- Yes.

Oftentimes, as I said, clients will come to us and when we start asking those questions, they may say, oh yeah, I was choked.

Well, choking is something that happens internally.

Strangulation happens externally to the body, and the health repercussions are great.

And in fact, what you see and what we've learned about strangulation is that when you look at the number of law enforcement officers who have, you know, died at the hands of a perpetrator, or if you look at mass murderers right in our history, and you trace back those individuals, the vast, vast majority of them have a history of strangulation.

So what we know is that the most dangerous individuals in this world are folks who are strangling, right?

So our clients need to know and understand the level of danger they're in and not brush it off as, oh, I just got choked, but I was fine.

Right?

Because there's a lot of medical implications and in fact, if a person is strangled one time, just one time, they are 750 times more likely to, to die the next time - At the hands of their abuser.

- Correct?

Yes.

Yes.

So -- - Wow.

That is horrifying.

- Yes, it is.

Yeah.

So that's why we put safety at the forefront and our case managers are so skilled at just providing that education.

And ultimately we are client centered.

We're not here to tell a survivor what to do.

We're here to provide the information and the support and the advocacy so they're aware not only of the danger they're in, but also of all the resources and supports they can access.

- If you're hearing this, and this is you... just take a deep breath and realize that there's hope.

Okay?

And when you go to the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center, one of the first things you'll see is the words hope, dream -- inspiring messages on the walls to tell you that literally you read the writing on the wall because it's important to see, but you have to get there or a call to get them to come to you because you can survive this.

Yeah, you can, you can get through this.

- Yeah.

- And you do need help.

- Yeah.

And this is happening.

I wanna name that this is happening in collaboration with so many in our community.

Right?

I mentioned that there are times when survivors can't get here, - But we collaborate with so many partners with health systems, with law enforcement, with partner agencies, and oftentimes we'll hear from them about folks who need help about, about survivors.

In fact, last month we got a call from a major health system that we partner with, and they said, we have an elder here.

And she came in for a medical issue and she seemingly is the victim of domestic violence and needs help at the hands of some adult children living in her home.

She can't leave the hospital, no problem.

We sent our legal advocate, we sent one of our social workers to her bedside at the hospital.

We got a restraining order for her, we provided her safety resources, we got a restraining order and ensured that the perpetrator moved out of the home before she left the hospital.

All of these things happened because of that partnership with the health system and because we can go anywhere to support a victim who's in need.

- Wow.

And you also can go anywhere to issue a restraining order because you are partnered with law enforcement officials in your own office as well as a bank of attorneys, - Correct.

Yes, we are working together.

And that's really the most seamless way for it to happen.

It has to be collaborative for the benefit of every survivor.

And we're just so grateful for all of our partners that they kind of have the same level of commitment that we do to, to bringing this help to those who need it most.

- It is huge.

You, you know, you walk in the doors that there is a centered mission and that everyone is there to make sure that the person in need is safe.

I want to talk to you also about when you, when you listed the multiple things that were so gripping to me, you... you talked about the different types of abuse that are going on.

What are you seeing the most of right now?

- Yeah, I mean, I think we're seeing the most of domestic violence victims, like I mentioned, with increasing levels of violence just on the rise.

And, you know, we're living in an increasingly challenging world, right?

So folks are, you know, in more danger because there's a lot of life's challenges and stresses and there's a lot of violence that comes with that.

And so what we care most about is ensuring that those who are in the most danger, right, maybe their perpetrator or respondent has access to firearms, right?

Maybe they're strangling.

We need to make sure that those folks who are coming are - we are working with every partner, whether it's law enforcement, probation, the health system.

We need to be able to tackle that issue for them and with them on all angles.

It's not just about providing them short term safety.

We're in it with them for the long term.

- So I can only imagine someone, actually, I can't imagine, but I can, I can speculate the tremendous amount of fear - Yes.

- that someone is under 24/7 around the clock in any of the areas that you mentioned of, of abuse.

And I want to encourage people to know that there's life on the other side of that fear, and that you can get free.

You can be free.

What would you say to reassure someone who wants to step into your safety net, but is just scared that their abuser is going to follow?

- Yeah, I mean, I would say you are in charge of yourself and we are centered on you, and we are gonna walk alongside you as you do among the most courageous things.

We are gonna make sure you have whatever it is that you need, whether it's safe shelter, whether it's support for your children, whether it's Saturday night at midnight, whether it's three in the morning.

We are going to be there alongside you to help you provide a sense of safety for yourself.

And then we're gonna share the level of hope that you know, others have experienced, because this is not -- and we're also gonna say, it's okay if you're not ready now, it's okay if you're scared.

It's okay if you come back 4, 5, 8 times.

No judgment.

This is a process.

This is a journey.

We will still be here.

You're not ready now.

We'll be ready whenever you get here.

That's important for victims to know.

This is on your timeline.

You are... you are in charge of this, and we are here next to you without judgment in whatever supports that you need.

And if you don't know what you need, we'll make a lot of suggestions and provide a lot of resources.

- I heard you say earlier in our conversation about a harm assessment and a risk assessment.

That assessment is eye-opening when you go down the list of the number of things that... that can be checked off.

- Yes.

- It... it's huge.

That in and of itself is a process that helps you get ready to get ready, if you will.

- Yeah, - Go ahead.

- We, we've worked with clients, one of whom not long said, as I sat there, you know, and... and my case manager was going through all these things and there was a 20 question assessment, she's like, I finished it and I was in shock.

I had no idea that all of the factors, you know, maybe there's a firearm in the home, maybe my partner was unemployed or had access to drugs, whatever the things on that assessment are.

She's like, I had no idea of my risk level.

And that really opened my eyes.

- And you can take this risk assessment online.

Yeah, you can find this online, take the risk assessment.

But if you do and you're concerned about someone following your... your history on your, on your search engine, be it your abuser or... or your someone you're afraid of, delete your history.

- Sure.

Yeah.

- But I do want to say that that resource is out there available.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

And we'll walk you through it here as well.

Like, we want you to have all those supports.

- So what led you to this?

- Yeah.

- Your personal journey to why you do, you know, what you do?

The Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center has... has a stellar reputation in our region and across the country.

Because you collaboratively share what you do with others.

Jan Scully, Faith Whitmore, Jan Scully, the former DA of Sacramento County.

Jan Scully was your leader prior to you -- I'm sorry, Faith Whitmore was your leader prior to you, and she did a phenomenal job.

She was a pastor, she brought that approach.

- Yes.

- And I'm curious, what your approach is.

- I mean, indeed we have had, and we still do have an incredible group of leaders and supporters and board members.

And I just feel so humbled to be here.

I mean, I come from the world of education and my journey was starting out as a, teacher and school leader and school founder working in schools in the most challenging parts of our community here in Sacramento.

I founded a charter school and led it for about 14 years.

And, you know, working with children ages four to 14 and their families over the course of an entire education, you build relationships with families and you sit across from them as you're navigating all the social emotional challenges their child might be having.

And over time, when I came to realize is a lot of these challenges based on the stories that the families would share with me, it stemmed from family violence.

It stemmed from challenges that their child was going through.

So this is about understanding what the family and the child needs.

And schools aren't always equipped to navigate all those challenges.

So in fact, I had two families at the school in my last year there share what the Family Justice Center was doing for them.

Wow.

I had a teacher that worked for me that was navigating some personal challenges and shared that she had gotten support from the Family Justice Center.

So when it was my time to sort of move into something next, I thought, well, I know I want to be working for a mission-driven organization that is supporting children and that is supporting their families, specifically their moms.

And, and I was just, you know, and, and coming here, that's exactly what's happening.

Like we are getting the opportunity support people and help them move to a place that they can live better, richer, more whole lives.

- That's phenomenal to hear that you saw those things.

And I... and I mean, as far as your direction in life that you started to really see the impact of not just the need, but the impact of people who were using the services.

- Yes, yes.

And the impact it had, not just on the child's life in a school setting, which we certainly saw, but also on the family's life, their level of hope and their level of agency in their own life and their child's life.

And we saw that play out every day in a school setting.

And that's just a gift.

That's a gift to breaking the cycle of violence and the generational cycle and that is big picture, what we are striving to do.

- I know this is a sensitive area to, to delve into, but I think it's important because you see it in a different way than any of us, and you get to see the survivor impact and the lives changed without any names.

Can you share a story that really just has stuck with you?

- Yeah, yeah.

I'll share the story of one of our survivors who was experiencing trafficking, sex trafficking.

And I got to know this survivor and she was experiencing trafficking over the course of many, many years.

And she got to the point where her own child was now going to be susceptible to that similar lifestyle.

And she got to the point where she said she was just experiencing violence one too many times.

And she got to a breaking point and a friend had told her about the Family Justice Center.

She describes this story of not knowing what else to do and feeling scared, but just walking in and meeting one of our case managers.

And she, she said, “it absolutely changed my life.” And she, over the course of just the first six months of working side by side with this case manager, she had moved into a place of her own.

She was supporting her children, she was in a new job, she was getting counseling.

She will say it, it's a challenge day day and still is.

But she was in a place of hope and in a place of taking those steps.

And the way she talked about it, that moment of just complete fear, she says, “I almost walked away from the door.

I was literally there.

I got dropped off and I had nothing.

And I'm so grateful that I walked in the door.” And she's an incredible example, one of so many of people who just took the step.

- Yeah.

I there are so many.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- And the shocking part also about human trafficking is the tremendous amount of people who are trafficked in the Sacramento region.

- That's right.

- It is shocking.

What would you say to someone who fears that their loved one or their neighbor or as you mentioned, elder abuse, a senior in the community is being abused or they suspect it.

What would you say to that person who's concerned about someone else but doesn't know for certain?

- Yeah, - That's a tough one.

- Yeah.

And you know, we talk about this in a lot of our trainings.

When we train members of the community, this question comes up often and what we say is, you don't have to know.

You don't have to, it is not necessarily your job as a neighbor or community member to have answers or to be able to solve a problem.

But you can offer a resource.

And if you don't know how to do that, if you don't know how to say, “Hey, there's this place called the Family Justice Center, then reach out to us.” We will happily by phone, in person, we will consult with you, we'll provide you with ideas and resources for how to intervene and... and just how to offer a resource.

Because sometimes that's just all it takes.

- And I think... - That's interesting.

I like - that.

- I think, yeah, there's also you dont have to have the answers.

And you also -- people just wanna be heard.

They just want to be believed.

They want to know you're not judging them.

So being able to say, “Hey, I'm not sure what might be happening, but it seems like you may need some help.

I'm here to listen and I'm here to believe whatever you're telling me.” That's... that's opening an important door.

- That's powerful.

People need to be seen and heard.

You also touched on, regardless of immigration status, and I think that's important to mention, that anyone who is in danger has a place to go.

Anyone, period.

- That's right.

We are here because we are providing safety for individuals and we are doing that to everyone who comes in our door.

Folks need to feel that they can get the services regardless of their language, their immigration status.

This has to be a place.

And we are maintaining a space where anyone can come and feel safe and feel like conversations and records and all of those things are confidential.

And indeed they are.

- And I will say, as I've been to your location multiple times over the past 10 years, both in your location as well as in events for the justice center, and there are children there who are being looked after while their guardian is getting what they need.

It truly is... as if you're stepping into a home and that home is centered around taking care of you, which is the way it should be.

- Yes.

- And I just have to salute you for that because it is such an important cause.

I always think it's important to ask someone if they have something on their heart that they feel must be shared.

This is an opportunity for you to say whatever you want to the people of not just California, but we stream this on the PBS app nationwide.

What do you want people to know?

- The helping of individuals to thrive is at the core what I believe in and what I wanna commit my career and life to.

And I just am so privileged I get to do it with such incredible people and for all, especially for all the survivors that we serve.

- Cristin Fiorelli, this time has been so enlightening and I appreciate your dedication to making this happen with the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center.

Thank you for taking your time to be here on - Thanks so much Rob.

- Rob at Home.

Yep.

Thank you.

♪♪♪ Thanks for joining us.

You can watch when you want at ROBONTHEROAD.COM - Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.