The Collin County Council on Family Violence functions with the help of community agencies, businesses and organizations committed to responding to and eliminating family violence in Collin County.

During its five-year history, many area organizations have contributed funds and services to assist the Council:

• Chambers of Commerce of Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano
• Christ Episcopal Church of Plano
• Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center
• Collin County Community College District
• Collin County District Attorney’s Office
• Green Oaks Hospital
• Health South
• Hope’s Door
• The Junior League of Plano
• Medical Center of Plano
• Presbyterian Hospital of Plano
• Texas Health Resources

If you or your organization is interested in donating to the Collin County Council on Family Violence, please contact Rebecca Egelston Caso at (972) 769-0557 or via e-mail at jlplano@gte.net. We welcome your involvement and support.

Collin County Family Justice Center

To eliminate family violence in Collin County, and to improve access to services for victims and families, in January 2004 the Council unanimously agreed to create a facility to house family violence services for residents of rural and underserved communities in Collin County. This facility, named the Collin County Family Justice Center, will administer to the adult and child victims of family violence acts such as spousal abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, date rape, and spousal rape.

Often victims do not seek help because they must travel from location to location to seek services, telling their story over and over to numerous professionals who are scattered throughout the community. The Family Justice Center concept makes a victim’s search for help and justice less burdensome by bringing professionals who provide an array of necessary services together under one roof, including non-profit, nongovernmental domestic violence victim services organizations, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, probation officers, governmental victim assistants, forensic medical professionals, civil legal attorneys, chaplains, legal advocates, and representatives from community-based organizations.

“Members of the Council have a history of many years of collaboration, culminating in the formation of the Council in 1999. The Collin County Family Justice Center will be the Council’s first attempt at co-locating family violence services on this scale,” says Rebecca Egelston-Caso, facilitator for the Council. “This next phase in our ongoing collaboration will help us reach our goal of eliminating family violence in Collin County.”

The Council’s target demographic is the rapidly growing, diverse populations of the rural and under-served areas served by the County Commissioners Court. This area has been identified as underserved and in need of immediate funding and programs by both the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Needs Assessment for 2003 and 2004 and through the North Texas Council of Governments five-year Community Plan (2004-2009).

The Council will develop the Collin County Family Justice Center using a phased approach and via multiple funding avenues, including grants, philanthropic donations, corporate sponsorships and targeted fundraising activities.

If you or your organization is interested in donating to the Collin County Family Justice Center, please contact Rebecca Egelston Caso at (972) 769-0557 or via e-mail at jlplano@gte.net. We welcome your involvement and support.