The Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) recently received a grant from the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation to help fund its Survivor’s Legal Project, which partners with Bozeman’s HAVEN domestic violence shelter, and targets the unmet civil legal needs of survivors of domestic violence in the Greater Big Sky / Bozeman communities.
The Survivors Legal Project: Bozeman HAVEN is an ongoing project which helps people fight civil injustices that affect essential human needs, including by ensuring personal safety for domestic violence survivors through orders of protection and family law legal matters. Survivors often believe they cannot escape abusive situations and live independently because they fear they will lose their children, become financially destitute, or encounter other issues involving their civil legal rights.
Studies show that civil legal services greatly increase the safety of domestic violence survivors by deterring future violence and preventing the escalation of abuse in the future. Indeed, a landmark study concluded that the single most important factor in determining whether a woman escapes domestic abuse is her access to civil legal services.
The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation support will support the MLSA domestic violence attorney who is housed at Bozeman HAVEN. The services include direct legal aid and advice to survivors.
The Survivors Legal Project: Bozeman HAVEN is just one way that MLSA provides equal justice to all Montanans. With the support of the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, civil legal aid from MLSA assures fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of how much money a person has, and helps Montanans protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families.