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 Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women has awarded a $900,000 Legal Assistance for Victims (CFDA 16.524) grant to the Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) Center, a nonprofit organization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This 3-year project grant supports STAR Center in providing holistic civil and criminal legal assistance to non-intimate partner sexual assault survivors across 15 parishes in Central and Southeast Louisiana. Key services include safety and privacy consultations, civil and criminal protection orders, and legal aid for housing, employment, education, and immigration issues. Additionally, STAR Center will develop several informational products such as a legal referral and expungement checklist, a blog on post-conviction relief options, and an easy-to-read court workbook explaining civil and criminal legal systems. This funding helps increase comprehensive legal services to victims of sexual assault in the targeted Louisiana service area.

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. Through this continuation legal assistance for victims project, sexual trauma awareness and response (star) will provide holistic legal assistance including comprehensive safety and privacy consultations, civil and criminal orders of protection, housing issues, employment issues, eeoc complaints, immigration issues, education issues, and other civil representation for non-intimate partner sexual assault survivors. The project service area will cover 15 parishes throughout central and southeast louisiana. The project will address priority area 2: increasing legal services to victims of sexual assault. The following products will be developed during the project period: SEX trafficking/sexual assault survivor legal referral and expungement eligibility checklist, essay/blog on post-conviction relief available for SEX trafficking/sexual assault survivors, informational worksheet on early lease termination protections for survivors, informational worksheet on survivor rights in hospital and medical settings, and an easy-to-read court workbook for adults explaining the difference between the civil and criminal legal systems.