Delco re:View Fall 2017 - 29

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It Can Happen to Anyone...
Let LASP Be Your Guide
Submitted by Sarah Coyle, Esq., Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (LASP)

omestic Violence can happen
to anyone. Every day, people
of every age, race, sexual
orientation, religion, or gender try to
deal with domestic violence on their
own. The reality is that these people are
at risk of losing their homes, their jobs,
their children, and their lives. Without
an advocate, the court system can be
overwhelming to a victim of domestic
violence, making them understandably
hesitant to seek the protection that the law
can provide. Legal Aid of Southeastern
Pennsylvania (LASP) has undertaken the
task of providing victims or survivors of
domestic violence in Delaware County
with legal advice or representation at no
cost.
A person can call the new helpline and
be connected directly with an attorney.
A qualified attorney with LASP will
be able to help no matter what stage of
the court process the client is in. The
helpline attorney can simply provide
advice on how to proceed or represent the
caller in court. This is a valuable service
because individuals trapped in dangerous
situations should be aware of all of their
legal options so that they can make a
fully-informed decision for the safety of
themselves and their family.
One of the unique aspects of this new
program is how flexible it can be. The
staff is able to help anyone regardless
of their citizenship status or financial
situation. The only limitations to the
services being provided are that the
client must be experiencing domestic
violence or sexual assault and must live in
Delaware County. Although the program
is new, the helpline is already quite busy;
this demonstrates the need for a service
like this in Delaware County.
Our new office in Media is not only
a very pleasant location downtown, but
it is exceedingly convenient. Domestic
violence matters are already heard in

Media, so having office space in such
close proximity to the courthouse is a
great asset. Protection orders are issued
on an emergency basis and thus there
is very little time for a victim/survivor
to go through an intake process to find
an attorney or advocate. The helpline
attorney is able to quickly appear on
behalf of clients who are often times
scared, having recently been through
trauma, or confused, having never dealt
with the court system before.

The Protection From Abuse (PFA)
is a civil order restraining an abuser
from contacting, harassing, or abusing
a person. These orders are enforced by
the courts. They are only appropriate for
current or former intimate partners or
household members. A Protection from
Sexual Violence or Intimidation is another
available remedy. In a situation where
someone is sexually abused or assaulted
by someone they have no relationship
with, a PSVI will be appropriate. The
intimidation component of the PSVI will

apply to minors who are experiencing
inappropriate contact or intimidation
from adults. Many victims/survivors will
not be well versed in the ways that these
orders can intersect and will attempt to
seek protection under the wrong statute,
which is another reason why legal
advocacy can be so valuable to them.
More often than not, a victim of
domestic violence or sexual assault also
requires legal assistance for custody or
housing issues. For someone in these
circumstances, being connected with
LASP will make services available to
them more quickly. LASP has attorneys
specifically dedicated to housing, public
benefits, or custody issues. Even if a PFA
client does not qualify for other legal
services through LASP (because their
income may be too high) they will be
advised by competent attorneys about
any issue stemming from their domestic
violence situation.
Some of the biggest reasons that abuse
victims do not leave their relationships
is because of children, pets, or financial
stressors. The LASP PFA Helpline
maintains an active list of pet-friendly
shelters, child care options, and financial
resources available to victims of domestic
violence. More importantly, the PFA
attorney will work hard to eliminate the
possibility that the abuser will use these
circumstances as a method of controlling
the victim/survivor. The Victim's
Compensation Assistance Program can
provide financial relief to victims of
domestic violence crimes and information
on that is readily available.
Even though the program is off to
a great start, there are still plenty of
unrepresented plaintiffs in PFA court
every week. While domestic violence
advocacy can be challenging, it is also
necessary. Without an advocate, many of
these victims would fail to obtain a final
protection order.

Fall 2017

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