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 victims…

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded Women's Center Inc. $400,000 under the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program on October 1, 2025, to plan and implement a comprehensive legal services program for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in North Idaho.

Women's Center Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, will deliver civil legal representation to abuse victims aged 11 and older in family law, immigration, employment, housing, and other civil matters arising from or relating to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The grant funds the organization's participation in the LAV Grant Program's Expanding Legal Services Initiative (ELSI), which enables organizations not currently offering legal services to establish such programs. The award period runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, with performance in Kootenai County and surrounding North Idaho communities. Women's Center Inc. currently operates a 24-hour hotline and provides crisis intervention, safety planning, advocacy, and transitional housing assistance across the region, and also serves as a sub-grantee under awards from the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, Idaho State Police, City of Coeur d'Alene, and National Children's Alliance Inc.

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 victims (ages 11 and older) of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking 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 includes assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in: a) family, tribal, territorial, immigration, employment, administrative agency, housing matters, campus administrative, or protection or stay away order proceedings, and other similar matters; B) criminal justice investigations, prosecutions, and post-trial matters (including sentencing, parole, and probation) that impact the victims safety and privacy; C) alternative dispute resolution, restorative practices, or other processes intended to promote victim safety, privacy, and autonomy; and D) post-conviction relief proceedings in state, local, tribal, or territorial court where the conviction of a victim is related to or arising from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or SEX trafficking. 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(24)(C). 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, womens center INC will plan and implement a comprehensive legal services program for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence in civil court proceedings and family law in north idaho, specifically in kootenai county.