The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced that the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $1.3 million to two programs in western Washington, including the YWCA of Clark County.
The OVW awarded $750,000 to the YWCA under the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Program, a news release stated. The program addresses the legal needs of survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
Through the funding, YWCA Clark County’s sexual assault program will partner with the Clark County Volunteer Lawyer Program to provide victim advocacy in criminal proceedings, and representation in family law, landlord tenant law, immigration and other civil legal matters to sexual assault survivors in southwest Washington, a project description provided alongside the release stated.
The OVW also awarded about $591,000 under the Justice for Families (JFF) Program to the Coalition for Ending Gender Based Violence, the release stated. That program aims to improve the capacity of communities and courts to respond to families impacted by violence.
Both programs are crucial in providing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in the release. She said the YWCA of Clark County was a leader in programs and services for survivors in southwest Washington.
“These grants are highly competitive, and it speaks to the quality of these programs that they have been chosen for DOJ funding,” Gorman said in the release.
OVW Director Rosemarie Hidalgo said the programs “serve as a powerful multi-pronged strategy to transform the justice system’s approach to supporting families affected by violence.”
“Collectively, these grants advance a more comprehensive approach, aimed at ensuring that survivors and their families don’t merely navigate our legal system, but genuinely find a path to justice and safety,” Hidalgo said.
