ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Since opening four years ago, the Family Peace Center has helped 2,000 people, including at least 500 children.
Jennifer Cacciapaglia, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Domestic and Community Violence Prevention, attributes much of the center’s progress to community collaboration.
“From the beginning, we’ve said this is a local family peace center, and that’s clearly been the case. When we opened four years ago, we had 11 partners,” Cacciapaglia said. “Now we have 37.”
Region One Planning Council is one of those partners. Researchers from the group compared Rockford to cities with similar demographics and populations. The data shows Rockford outperforms 16 of those cities.
“This is probably the result of a local effort,” said Jason Holcomb of the R1 Planning Council.
He said the positive trends began with the creation of a coordinated community response effort and the opening of the Family Peace Center in 2020.
“These aren’t necessarily problems that can be solved programmatically,” Cacciapaglia says. “These are root cause, systems-level problems that have proven adaptable.”
Finding solutions to the root causes will take time, and in the meantime, Cacciapaglia said the team is looking for leading indicators.
“Seeing how well kids are doing in school. Seeing how many of the people in juvenile detention centers are reintegrating back into society,” she said. “Those are the important things to look at.”
That’s why RPS 205 is another important ally: In recent years, the school system has partnered with the Family Peace Center to develop a Teen Dating Violence Policy, a Healing-Centered Framework and a Mindful Responding Program.
“We need to address and support every layer of this ecosystem,” Cacciapaglia said. “Teachers, students, parents, everyone in the community.”
Around 7,600 “Handle with Care” notices have been issued since February 2022, meaning these children require extra support as they may have experienced trauma at home.
For the full data presentation and more information from the Family Peace Center, click here
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