§ 19-13-21.Powers and duties of council

Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 2. Family Violence Shelters · Last amended 2015 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-13-21 lists the duties of Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for family violence shelters — setting standards, deciding applications within 60 days, distributing funds and evaluating shelters each year — and the research and education work it may do.

Full Text of § 19-13-21

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(a) It shall be the duty of the council:

(1) To establish minimum standards for an approved family violence shelter to enable such shelter to receive state funds;

(2) To receive applications for the development and establishment of family violence shelters;

(3) To approve or reject each application within 60 days of receipt of the application;

(4) To distribute funds to an approved shelter as funds become available;

(5) To fund other family violence programs as funds become available, provided that such programs meet standards established by the council; and

(6) To evaluate annually each family violence shelter for compliance with the minimum standards.

(b) Without using designated shelter funds, the council may:

(1) Formulate and conduct a research and evaluation program on family violence and cooperate with and assist and participate in programs of other properly qualified agencies, including any agency of the federal government, schools of medicine, hospitals, and clinics, in planning and conducting research on the prevention of family violence and the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons engaged in or subject to family violence;

(2) Serve as a clearing-house for information relating to family violence;

(3) Carry on educational programs on family violence for the benefit of the general public, persons engaged in or subject to family violence, professional persons, or others who care for or may be engaged in the care and treatment of persons engaged in or subject to family violence; and

(4) Enlist the assistance of public and voluntary health, education, welfare, and rehabilitation agencies in a concerted effort to prevent family violence and to treat persons engaged in or subject to family violence.

End

Plain-English Summary

This section gives the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council its job in Georgia’s shelter system. The council must set minimum standards a family violence shelter must meet to receive state funds; receive applications to develop and establish shelters; approve or reject each application within 60 days of receiving it; distribute funds to approved shelters as funds become available; fund other family violence programs that meet its standards, as funds become available; and evaluate each shelter annually for compliance with the minimum standards.

The council may also do broader work, so long as it doesn’t use designated shelter funds. It may run a research and evaluation program on family violence and work with other qualified agencies — including federal agencies, schools of medicine, hospitals and clinics — on research into prevention, care, treatment and rehabilitation. It may serve as a clearing-house for information on family violence, run educational programs for the public, for people engaged in or subject to family violence, and for professionals, and enlist public and voluntary health, education, welfare and rehabilitation agencies in a joint effort to prevent family violence and treat those involved.

Section 19-13-22 sets what a shelter must show to be approved and funded. The section was last amended in 2015.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who funds family violence shelters in Georgia?

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council distributes state funds to approved shelters as funds become available. Shelters must also raise a share of their funding elsewhere: under § 19-13-22(a)(3), a shelter must receive a minimum of 25 percent of its funding from other sources. Counties and cities may also make grants under § 19-13-22(d).

How long does the council take to approve a family violence shelter application?

The council must approve or reject each application within 60 days of receiving it. Approval depends on meeting the council’s minimum standards and the requirements in § 19-13-22, including the periodic written endorsement of local law enforcement and a share of funding from other sources. Under § 19-13-22(b), any local agency or organization may apply.

Are Georgia family violence shelters inspected?

The council must evaluate each family violence shelter annually for compliance with its minimum standards. Those standards determine whether a shelter can receive state funds. The council sets the standards itself, and under § 19-13-22(a)(4) a shelter must meet them to be approved and funded.

Does the council fund family violence programs other than shelters?

Yes. The council must fund other family violence programs as funds become available, provided those programs meet standards the council sets. Under § 19-13-20, a family violence program is one whose primary stated purpose is to provide services to victims.

Does the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council do family violence research and education?

It may, without using designated shelter funds. The council may run research and evaluation programs, serve as a clearing-house for information on family violence, carry on educational programs for the public and professionals, and enlist other agencies in preventing family violence and treating those involved.

Amendment History

Laws 1981, p. 663, § 2; Laws 1983, p. 521, § 2; Laws 1988, p. 1287, § 2; Laws 1996, p. 819, § 2; Laws 2015, Act 132, § 10, eff. July 1, 2015.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: criminal justice coordinating council family violencefamily violence shelter funding georgiashelter approval georgiadomestic violence shelter standards georgia