TITLE
Title
BUDGET AMENDMENT: FY25 FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER ENHANCED COORDINATION GRANT
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Catherine Johnson
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BACKGROUND
Background
In November 2018, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners approved the North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission Grant award to support two staff for Family Justice Center (FJC) initiatives focused on support for child and elderly victims of violence and abuse. The grant project has served to increase access to life-saving programs and interventions for underserved victims of child and elder abuse through improved coordination, follow-up, and targeted outreach. Currently, there are 17 partner organizations totaling nearly 150 professionals working together to provide streamlined and comprehensive services to victims of domestic, sexual violence, child abuse, and elder abuse from the Guilford County Family Justice Centers in Greensboro and High Point.
GCC revised its grant cycle from two years to three years in 2023. All 2022-funded projects in good standing were awarded a one-year extension from October 2024 to September 2025. The grant award extension is $83,401. The County’s match is $104,879 from general funds, which was adopted with the passing of the FY24-25 budget. Since this is an extension, the funds will be budgeted in the current FY23 FJC Enhanced Coordination Grant project.
Grants funds support partial personnel expenses for two (2) FJC staff positions.
1. Child Trauma Specialist Coordinator provides trauma-informed services and programming, including group and individual counseling designed to meet the unique needs of child victims and their families, facilitation of peer support experiences, programming coordination of existing resources, focused outreach, and training/supervision of interns and volunteers. Staff will also coordinate referrals and follow-up with continued services with GCFJC partners.
2. Elder Justice Specialist Coordinator provides trauma-informed services and programming to older and disabled adults. The coordinator also leads the Elder Justice Committee’s multidisciplinary coordinated community response, conducts focused outreach, and manages elder justice interns and volunteers.
This grant project has three primary outcomes, measured and tracked by grant project staff. #1- Maintain and expand partner engagement in child and elder abuse coordination and programming. #2-Provide coordinated referrals to victims of child and elder abuse seeking services from the GCFJC or who are referred by FJC partners. #3- Increase outreach to child and elder abuse victims regarding the access to services available to them through the FJC.
The Child Trauma Specialist Coordinator leads the FJC’s Camp HOPE program, a year-round mentoring and camping program specially designed for children impacted by abuse and trauma. Currently, 165 children are actively enrolled. This position also oversees all Camp HOPE volunteers, who contribute more than 3,500 hours annually to the program. Project staff are also responsible for outreach and community education. In 2024, staff led 68 outreach events, impacting 1,972 attendees.
The Elder Justice Specialist Coordinator leads the FJC’s Elder Justice Committee. This committee is comprised of 16 agencies that collaborate to increase community education, resources, and response to elder abuse. In 2024, staff led 21 outreach events, impacting 957 attendees. In addition, staff facilitated 32 multidisciplinary team meetings and case reviews on egregious elder abuse cases.
Staff in both grant-funded positions have been with the County since the grant projects began in 2018. Their contributions are core to the FJC’s mission of providing access and coordination of care to Guilford County's most vulnerable, including children, older adults, and disabled adults.
The NC Governor’s Crime Commission serves as the chief advisory board to the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety on crime and justice-related issues. The goal of this grant is to assist and better coordinate care for child and elder abuse victims seeking assistance from within the County.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
Grant Project Fund
FY23 FJC Enhanced Coordination Grant
$188,280 increase in appropriation to Grant Project
$83,401 increase in Federal/State revenue
$104,879 increase in Transfers from Other Funds (General Fund)
NO ADDITIONAL COUNTY FUNDS REQUIRED
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Approve receipt of the FY25 FJC Enhanced Coordination Grant award for $83,401 and amend the FY23 FJC Enhanced Coordination Grant ordinance in the Grant Projects Fund to increase the appropriation by $188,280 with a $83,401 increase in Federal/State revenue, and a $104,879 increase in Transfers from Other Funds (General Fund).
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