BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday delayed a vote on a proposed contract between the District Attorney’s Office and Bakersfield Recovery Services for operations at the Family Justice Center.
The proposed contract would allow Bakersfield Recovery Services to take over occupancy at the Family Justice Center and provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. In an email, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said “there are a few remaining steps to complete before the process is finalized.”
Advocates urged county leaders to prioritize victims as the process continues.
“Those are the victims that you guys need to be worried about,” said Nadine Escalante, a domestic violence victim advocate. “Not people’s money, not what Michael Bowers said, not what the D.A. wants. It’s the victims.”
The contract had previously drawn scrutiny during a March 24 Board of Supervisors meeting, where concerns were raised about potential conflicts of interest. Multiple supervisors had received campaign donations from parties connected to the proposal. At that meeting, Bakersfield Recovery Services Chairman Michael Bowers said the organization was being unfairly impacted.
“Bakersfield Recovery Service is just essentially collateral damage in between this dispute and this fight,” Bowers said.
While the Family Justice Center contract remains unresolved, the county is moving forward with a separate agreement involving the Open Door Network, the former occupant of FJC, to provide services and street outreach in Oildale.
Open Door CEO Lauren Skidmore said the effort will focus on addressing addiction, housing instability and family needs in the community.
“That community is facing a lot of addiction, it’s facing a lot of home insecurity,” Skidmore said. “There’s a lot of families that are affected by these issues. And so we really are going out there to provide intensive case management. We’re there to bring our trauma-informed care expertise.”
Skidmore said the contract process began early last year and included several applicants. The county ultimately selected Open Door in March for a 16-month term beginning in June.
“We are going to be providing all sorts of wraparound care, along with Homeward Bound opportunities,” she said. “To where folks — maybe that aren’t from Bakersfield and Kern County — if they’re wanting to relocate back to their home, we can provide those services as well.”
It is unclear when the Family Justice Center contract will return to the Board of Supervisors agenda.
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