Officials cut ribbon on Chicago Advocacy Network for Hope, new family justice center in East Garfield Park

Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke is focusing on domestic violence survivors as she celebrates the grand opening of Chicago's first so-called "family justice center."

O'Neill Burke helped cut the ribbon Tuesday morning on the new Chicago Advocacy Network for Hope.

Run by the nonprofit Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, the multi-agency center offers survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking with counseling, legal aid, community resources, and access to law enforcement. Staff described it as a one-stop-shop connecting survivors with the care they need, but officials said there is still a lot more work to be done.

"When I came into this office, I thought gun violence was our major problem. I thought that was what the house on fire was. The house on fire was domestic violence. We have gotten our gun crime significantly under control – not where we need it to be, but better than it was a year ago. What we have seen is an increase in domestic violence," O'Neill Burke said.

The Chicago Advocacy Network for Hope is located at 3410 W. Van Buren St. in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.