Grant to Support Victims of Domestic Violence - TRLA
Around Texas
April, 2009
The Floyd A. and Kathleen C. Cailloux Foundation has awarded a grant to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) to support legal services for victims of domestic violence in the Texas Hill Country.
The $25,000 award will help fund the work of TRLA’s Legal Access to Rural Shelters (LARS) Project. The LARS Project aims to establish relationships between domestic violence shelters and TRLA to ensure that victims have immediate access to legal help when leaving their abusers. Specifically, the award will be used to support TRLA’s work with shelters that serve the Hill Country area.
“Easy access to the legal system is an important tool in helping victims of domestic violence,” said TRLA attorney Kevin Dietz. “Particularly in rural areas, this assistance can mean the difference between life and death.”
The support of the Cailloux Foundation comes at a critical time for funding for legal aid. Drops in interest rates have had a profound effect on vital sources of funding for organizations that provide free legal help to low-income clients. Increases in foreclosures and unemployment rates have also led to skyrocketing demand for services. In 2008 TRLA turned away one third of the people who needed legal aid due to insufficient resources.
Added Dietz, “The support of the Cailloux Foundation ensures that victims of domestic violence will continue to receive the support they need to leave their abusers and rebuild their lives.”
Established in 1970, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients in a 68-county service area. TRLA’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety and stability of low-income Texas residents by providing high-quality legal assistance and related educational services. For more information on Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. and this story visit www.trla.org.
