WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu (R-NH) announced today (9/19) that Manchester-based New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) is slated to receive $350,383 to bolster services it provides to victims of domestic violence. The funds are made available through a U.S. Department of Justice program that provides legal support to individuals who have been targets of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

“New Hampshire Legal Assistance is a valuable statewide resource for victims of domestic violence, helping to ensure that those who have been abused are able to live in a safe, stable environment. These resources will be devoted to enabling the group to continue to provide high quality representation to those in need,” said Gregg and Sununu.

NHLA plans to use these funds, provided through the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program, to deliver a network of services to victims by extending its individual and systemic support advocacy, expanding its referral systems, and providing more comprehensive civil legal services to minorities, immigrants and refugees. The grant money will also help the group to retain project staff, recruit and train pro bono attorneys, and to train new attorneys, crisis center staff and victims of domestic violence about available civil legal remedies.

John Tobin, Executive Director of the NHLA, stated, “This project, a collaborative effort of New Hampshire Legal Assistance, the Pro Bono Program of the NH Bar Association, and the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, helps NH residents who are victims of domestic abuse protect their safety and obtain financial support for their children. Legal advocacy is recognized as one of the most effective tools for dealing with domestic violence because we help the victims become financially independent of their abusers. Over the next year, this grant that the Senators helped us obtain will enable us to represent hundreds of vulnerable people in our state who otherwise would have nowhere else to turn.”

Since 1971, NHLA has delivered free legal aid to low-income individuals and families throughout New Hampshire. For more information, visit http://www.nhla.org/.

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