This year, for the first time, the federal government has allowed states to use funding through the Victims of Crime Act to support civil legal aid for victims.
New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice and Referral Center, along with the Pro Bono Program of the NH Bar Association, recently received $1.1 million for three years of work helping victims of domestic violence and stalking as they navigate the civil legal system.
The Associated Press covered the news:
Of the more than 5,000 domestic violence and stalking victims who filed restraining order petitions in the state in 2015, just 9 percent received legal help, according to the court system.
With the new money, New Hampshire Legal Assistance will hire two attorneys focused solely on domestic violence and stalking cases, more than doubling the organization’s current capacity to help victims. (The new attorneys will work with crisis centers in Strafford, Rockingham and Hillsborough counties.)
The Legal Advice and Referral Center, which connects victims with crisis centers and lawyers, will hire an additional intake screener. And the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program will launch a new statewide program to help stalking victims and work to recruit more private volunteer attorneys.
The goal of the organizations is to identify victims early and begin helping them at the start of the court process. Victims often don’t know what information to include to ensure their restraining orders are granted and they win fair child support.
This new grant is a crucial step toward restoring the level of legal aid that was available for low-income New Hampshire residents before significant cuts in public funding in 2011. We know domestic violence victims live in all corners of our state, from our large cities to our isolated rural towns.
When Abby Howard decided to seek a restraining order against her husband in 2012, she had no legal help to navigate the civil court system. Her husband, meanwhile, hired a lawyer who helped him lower his monthly child support payments, from about $800 to $50, and file for a divorce. Howard, a mother of four with a part-time job, felt outsmarted and unsure how to best advocate for her and her children. “I left that hearing feeling like his lawyer had totally mopped the floor with me,” Howard, a resident of Gilsum, New Hampshire, said. “It was a terrible feeling.” Howard eventually found a lawyer through New Hampshire Legal Assistance, a nonprofit that provides free services to low-income victims. Her attorney helped her push back against the child support reductions and ensure she got a fair deal in the now-finalized divorce. Howard was one of the rare victims who had access to legal help. But many more low-income people soon will have similar access. Howard hopes sharing her story will encourage other women to come forward and ask attorneys for the help that they need. “It’s just a world of difference having good legal representation,” she said. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
The Campaign is continuing our work to bridge the gap between the need and the available public resources through outreach to individuals and businesses statewide.
Click here to make a secure online gift to support programs that ensure survivors like Abby have access to justice to provide safety and stability to their families – no matter where they live.
