SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva’s strategic approach to addressing domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking, known as the Family Justice Center Act, was signed into law Friday.
“We know survivors of violence often struggle with accessing services, feeling the process is too overwhelming and too confusing to offer any real reprieve,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “When someone has a range of needs due to the trauma they’ve experienced, we have to ensure that individual is receiving comprehensive care that meets them where they are in their healing journey.”
A Family Justice Center is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary service center where public and private agencies assign staff members on a full-time or part-time basis to provide services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking. These centers increase access to services for survivors and their children by reducing the number of times survivors must repeat their accounts and the number of places survivors must go for help. The goal is to ensure families have comprehensive support in one centralized location.
Villanueva’s law will create the Family Justice Center Act, which will allow the state, local governments and nonprofits to establish a multi-agency center to coordinate trauma-informed services and support for survivors. In recent years, Illinois has experienced an upward trend in domestic violence incidents, including increased contacts to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline – rising 140% from 2019 to 2024 – and higher rates of domestic-related homicides. Villanueva stressed that the rising rate of reports, coupled with the reality that many incidents go unreported, demonstrated a need for state response.
“The Family Justice Center Act will close gaps that survivors have repeatedly cited as obstacles to receiving care, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met,” added Villanueva. “This is about ensuring all survivors, especially women and children, have access to streamlined care and trauma-informed services.”
House Bill 4949 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1.
