Temecula, February 4, 2022- The SAFE Family Justice Centers (SAFE FJC) are an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing support services to individuals both within and without the criminal justice system, who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child/elder abuse or are at risk youth. To ensure services are readily available to victims of crime, these centers are often collocated with regional district attorney’s offices or other government-based entities. SAFE FJC also manages a separate nonprofit called the Friends of the Riverside County Family Justice Center Foundation. In 2005, Friends of the Riverside County Family Justice Center Foundation was established to support the development of our Family Justice Center Framework in Riverside County. This development was led by a multidisciplinary team consisting of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside Sheriff’s Office, and several community-based organizations for the purpose of delivering a one-stop shop of services to area victims of crime pursuant to California penal code 13750, three of the four centers in Riverside County are sponsored by the District Attorney’s Office and are housed adjacent to their buildings. Today, funds raised by the foundation are used for special projects that support the organization’s goals to deliver services to victims using the multidisciplinary framework.
In 2019, SAFE Family Justice Center received a $209,373 restricted donation from the Corona Chamber Foundation to be used to provide for, or to hire the variety of services that may be needed for, the Turpin siblings in the future, as they work to adapt to their new lives. As part of this donation, it was agreed that the money would not be used to supplant any funding for services that the County of Riverside, or the State of California, would and should provide to these victims of abuse. And absent overriding need, it has not. In addition to these funds, SAFE FJC received $432.76 in additional restricted funding and has leveraged new donors which have SAFE FJC to diversify and help ensure long term support for the Turpin family.
In response to questions surrounding the recent article published by The Desert Sun regarding the use of restricted funds for the Turpin family issued to the SAFE Family Justice Center; To date the SAFE FJC has expended $41,587.92 in restricted donated funds on items such as client transportation, food, lodging, emergency needs, recreation, and any other client identified request. Most questions surrounding the timeline in which funds have been expended cannot be answered without discussing the date of first contact, extent of contact, and work that has been performed with potential clients surrounding this subject matter. Due to client confidentiality, SAFE FJC is unable to release details regarding potential clients without written permission from a client to do so.
SAFE FJC has been and continues to maintain its ethical and intended use of the restricted funds received by the Corona Chamber Foundation and other donors. It should further be noted that SAFE FJC looks forward to active participation in the existing investigation initiated by the County of Riverside.
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Katie Gilbertson,
Executive Director