After more than a year of operating out of a temporary courthouse location, Guilford County officials say the Family Justice Center is preparing to move back home.
Beginning Thursday, Jan. 22, the Guilford County Family Justice Center Courthouse Pop-Up, located inside the Guilford County Courthouse, will close. The pop-up site will be shut down Thursday and Friday, Jan. 22 and Jan. 23, as staff prepare to relocate services back to the Katie S. Cashion Center at 201 S. Greene St.
Family Justice Center officials anticipate resuming client services at the Greene Street location on Monday, Jan. 26.
During the two-day closure, residents who need help are being directed to the Family Justice Center in High Point, located at 505 E. Green Dr., which will be open for walk-in services from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Residents can also call the Family Justice Center at 336-641-SAFE (7233) or visit GuilfordCountyNC.gov/FJC to learn more about available services.
Anyone needing immediate assistance is urged to call 911 or contact Family Service of the Piedmont’s 24-hour Crisis Line at 336-273-7273.
County officials say that the brief interruption is necessary to allow staff to safely transition operations and equipment back to the Cashion Center, which has been undergoing extensive repairs following a fire that displaced the Family Justice Center and several other county operations.
The return marks an important milestone in a long and often frustrating process that began with that fire, which rendered the Katie S. Cashion Center unusable and forced the county to scramble for temporary space. The fire caused significant smoke and water damage throughout the building, triggering a full evacuation and a prolonged closure.
In the immediate aftermath, county leaders emphasized that the Family Justice Center – which serves victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and elder abuse – had to remain operational, even if that meant doing so in less-than-ideal temporary quarters.
The courthouse pop-up site was created as a stopgap, allowing victims to continue accessing services while repairs moved forward at the Greene Street facility.
Those repairs, however, took longer than many initially expected: Early estimates proved overly optimistic as inspectors uncovered more extensive damage than first believed.
Electrical systems, HVAC components and interior finishes all required replacement or major remediation. County officials cited insurance reviews, contractor availability and supply-chain issues as some of the contributing factors to the delays.
Over the months, the county provided periodic updates on progress, noting completed phases of cleanup, reconstruction and inspections. By late last year, officials signaled that the end was finally in sight, with final approvals and move-in preparations underway.
With staff now preparing to return to the Katie S. Cashion Center, county leaders say the goal is to restore full, centralized services in a facility designed specifically for the Family Justice Center’s mission – something the courthouse pop-up was never meant to replace.
