| In August 2003, NWLS was
awarded a continuation grant from the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) to provide the broad range of civil legal
services to victims of domestic violence in six counties in
northwestern Pennsylvania: Mercer, Crawford, Venango,
McKean, Warren and Forest Counties. The goals of the Legal
Assistance for Victims Grant Program, or "Blossom Project,"
are to help victims of domestic violence sever the ties that
bind them to abusers. We do this by providing the full range
of legal assistance in all types of civil cases that victims
encounter in their lives.
An essential part of the Blossom Project is our
partnership with the domestic violence advocacy
organizations in the six counties served by the DOJ grant.
These centers include Victim's Resource Center, Inc.,
(Venango and Crawford Counties); Women's Services, Inc.,
(Crawford County); AW/ARE Inc., (Mercer County);
The Crisis Center, (Venango County); McKean County
Victim's Resource Center, (McKean County); and A Safe
Place (Warren and Forest Counties).
Clients of the Blossom Project are victims of domestic
violence who do not have the financial resources to hire an
attorney on their own. It is important to keep in mind,
however, that the income and assets of the abuser are not
included in this eligibility screening. Community legal
education is offered to all of the victims at the domestic
violence centers, regardless of their financial resources.
Since the original DOJ grant was awarded to NWLS in
December 2001, more than 1,000 victims of domestic violence
and their families have received the broad range of legal
assistance in our region. We are extremely proud of our work
to enable these victims, and their children, to stop the
violence that threatens their lives, and to move beyond the
cycle of domestic abuse that hinders their growth. |
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