The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, authorized by authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20121, is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively…

The Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance, doing business as Family Justice Center, has been awarded a $400,000 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program award from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. The purpose of this 2-year project grant is to establish a program providing family law services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking across Contra Costa County, California. Key activities and deliverables under this award include conducting a needs assessment, designing the legal services plan, and developing a long-term sustainability and expansion plan for the new family law legal services. This project will address priority areas of advancing racial equity and serving underserved communities. The LAV Grant Program, authorized under 34 U.S.C. 20121, aims to increase access to comprehensive civil and criminal legal assistance for adult and youth victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, authorized by authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20121, is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth (ages 11 to 24) victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault, by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. Legal assistance is assistance in: a) divorce, parental rights, child support, tribal, territorial, immigration, employment, administrative agency, housing, campus, education, healthcare, privacy, contract, consumer, civil rights, protection or other injunctive proceedings, related enforcement proceedings, and other similar matters; B) criminal justice investigations, prosecutions, and post-conviction matters (including sentencing, parole, and probation) that impact the victims safety, privacy, or other interests as a victim; C) alternative dispute resolution, restorative practices, or other processes intended to promote victim safety, privacy, and autonomy, and offender accountability, regardless of court involvement; or D) post-conviction relief proceedings in state, local, tribal, or territorial court, with respect to a conviction of a victim relating to or arising from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or SEX trafficking victimization of the victim. The LAV grant programs expanding legal services initiative (ELSI) is intended to enable eligible organizations that do not currently offer legal services to establish a program that provides legal representation to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Through this new legal assistance for victims expanding legal services initiative project, contra costa family justice alliance will establish a program to provide family law services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking across contra costa county, california. The project will address the following priority area(S): 1) priority area 1: advancing racial equityand 2) priority area 3: underserved communities. The following products will be developed during the project period: a needs assessment and design of the legal services planand a long-term sustainability/expansion plan for family law legal services.