The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, 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…

The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, 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. Through this continuation legal assistance for victims project, the connecticut alliance to end sexual violence, INC., through its legal program, the victim rights center of connecticut, will provide legal representation and advocacy concerning orders of protection, the criminal justice process, education, employment/benefits, family law (emergency custody), immigration, and department of public health complaints to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking in new haven, hartford, middlesex, tolland, and windham counties, as well as part of fairfield county, with the intention to expand to providing statewide services by the end of the year. The project will address the following priority area: 2: increasing legal services to victims of sexual assault, with legal services for victims of non-intimate partner sexual assault comprising at least 80% of funded activities. The following products will be developed during the project period: fact sheets with information on legal avenues that are available to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.