Westchester County, New York, is known as an affluent and safe area. Yet police respond to more than 12,000 domestic incident reports every year.
Only a small percentage of victims go to court. That means that many people stay in abusive relationships. Their safety is in jeopardy. o
ne in four American women will be abused in her lifetime by a spouse, significant other, or dating partner. One in three adolescents will be abused. One in ten elderly men and women. It is a national epidemic.
Victims and their children often experience isolation, hopelessness, and fear. They don’t know where to turn for help and feel trapped in the abusive relationship. They think they can’t lead productive and healthy lives.
Domestic violence is about power and control. Abusers use physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse to maintain power and control over their victims. They degrade their victims, cause physical injuries, restrict access to money, and prevent victims from contacting family and friends.
Westchester County residents are not immune to this national epidemic.
Children who witness abuse often exhibit behavioral and emotional problems and are at a higher risk of becoming victims themselves. 2
PWJC’s response: a coor-
dinated community effort to eradicate interpersonal violence. Each year, we reach out to over 10,000 people through our education and training programs, and provide direct legal services to nearly 3,000 victims and survivors of domestic violence and elder abuse.
3
4
5
Legal help can secure orders of protection, child custody arrangements, and other remedies that break the cycle of abuse. w
“He came to my work and screamed at me in front of my coworkers.” “He threw a beer bottle at my head.”
“He followed me around town for days.” “She slashed my tires.” “He broke my phone.” “He told my kids I didn’t love them.” “He punched me in the face.” “He cut up my credit cards and emptied our bank account.” “She told me she’d call immigration.” “He pointed a gun at me.”
6
e are making things change for victims and survivors who endure these experiences. Obtaining protection through the legal system is an important step in the victim’s journey to safety.
An order of protection (OP) is issued by the court to restrict abusive behavior towards another person. Obtaining an OP is critical for victims of domestic violence and elder abuse because it orders the abuser to stop harassing, threatening, and hurting the victim. And it directs the abuser to stay away from the victim and to relinquish his or her weapons.
A court can also order other vital legal remedies that break the cycle of abuse, including resolving child custody and visitation issues, ordering spousal financial support, and requiring the abuser to vacate the home.
At PWJC, we work closely with the law enforcement officers who respond to domestic violence incidents and arrest abusers for violations of OPs. These remedies can help free victims and their children from feeling trapped in a cage of hopelessness and fear.
But many victims and survivors don’t know how to access or can’t afford the legal help they need. n avigating the legal system can be daunting, and finding an affordable attorney who can help may seem impossible.
Legal fees can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars, and victims of domestic violence and elder abuse are often left without access to the financial resources necessary to access the legal system.
They may also face cultural or language barriers and experience shame and embarrassment. It may seem as if there is nowhere to turn for help. It is important for victims of abuse to know that they are not alone and that help is available. We partner with community organizations and reach out to the community to let people know about the full range of free legal services that PWJC offers. Our goal: To make these services available to those who need us the most.
7
8
9
Pace Women’s Justice Center offers a range of services, including free legal assistance right at the courthouse.
w
e serve thousands of victims and survivors each year. Our programs include: The Family Court Legal Program is on the frontlines in providing victims and their children legal services on an emergency basis. For those needing immediate help and protection, our attorneys—assisted by pro bono attorneys and law students—represent clients in family-offense proceedings for emergency orders of protection and petitions for custody and child support. No appointments are needed. Walk-ins are welcome at the White Plains and Yonkers Courthouses.
10
The Bridge the Gap Program offers comprehensive, free civil legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence. Our attorneys assist low-income clients with all legal matters arising from abuse. We collaborate with other community-based organizations that offer social services to victims, including emergency shelters, counseling, intervention, safety planning, support groups, and other free social services.
The Elder Justice Program provides free civil legal services to Westchester residents, aged 60+, who have experienced financial exploitation, physical abuse, housing and consumer problems, and other related issues.
We give clients and their children the opportunity to live a life free from violence and abuse.
We also assist clients with referrals to appropriate agencies and professionals.
We train professionals and volunteers.
Our Legal Helpline provides free legal information, guidance, and referrals over the phone. Callers may leave a confidential message at any time, and one of our attorneys will return the call within 24 hours.
ach year, we travel across New York State, training hundreds of police officers, medical professionals, social service providers, law students, attorneys, judges, and other professionals on best practices when working with victims of abuse.
The Moderate Means Program helps individuals who do not qualify for our free legal services. PWJC recruits and trains private attorneys who have agreed to offer lower-fee services to low- and middle-income clients, and makes appropriate referrals.
e
Our services include lectures, seminars, and free legal walk-in clinics on various issues including domestic violence, divorce, custody, child support, teen dating violence, elder law, elder abuse, and other issues.
The Pro Bono Legal Program utilizes attorneys, paralegals, other professionals, law students, college students, and high school students to support all of our programs.
We are leaders in community education and outreach.
o
ur innovative education programs raise awareness and provide information
about interpersonal abuse. Through our grass-roots outreach efforts, we connect with thousands of members of our community at libraries, food pantries, community centers, neighborhood events, and senior centers. At these events, we share user-friendly, bilingual resources and information, and provide referrals.
PWJC also has an extensive
program to recruit, train and supervise volunteers.
11
12
13
Our programs–which represent, protect, mobilize, and educate– are supported by public and private funding. p WJC receives support
from a variety of sources, including individuals, family and private foundations, corporations, and government entities. Our friends, neighbors, local practitioners, volunteers, and advisory board members are proud to support our work.
We are the recipient of competitive federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA ) grants, as well
as Westchester County grants, all of which provide funding for our free legal services. We also receive funding from New York State to support our Pro Bono Legal Program, which allows us to leverage our limited funds and serve as many clients as possible.
Even with the support we receive from the public and private sectors, we cannot provide direct legal services to all the individuals in our community who need our assistance.
Each year, we see a steady increase of calls to our Legal Helpline and more and more requests for legal assistance in securing orders of protection and other remedies. As more and more people are becoming aware of our programs and services, they’re coming forward. We need to expand in order to meet this unfortunate but growing demand.
We serve nearly 3,000 clients every year. With your help, we could do so much more. a dditional support will make it possible for us to expand our programs to meet the needs of victims and survivors of domestic violence and elder abuse in our community.
With your help, we will hire more attorneys to provide direct legal services to victims of domestic violence, so we can serve hundreds of additional clients every year.
Increased support will enable our Elder Justice attorneys to conduct more home visits with frail, homebound, elderly victims.
We will add additional staff and extend the hours of operation of our Legal Helpline in order to respond to more callers seeking legal information and referrals.
Increased funding for our emergency courthouse programs will allow us to open new walk-in clinics in courthouses and offer immediate legal assistance to hundreds of new clients. And we will increase our outreach and education efforts to let thousands more individuals know how to access our services.
Tracey Alter, Esq. Director, Family Court Legal Program Elizabeth Best, Esq. Staff Attorney
With Your Help
Current Capability
Capability to serve 5,000 victims and survivors annually
Laurie Epstein, Esq. Staff Attorney Ellen Gatins, Esq. Staff Attorney Jane Aoyama-Martin, Esq. Executive Director
Serving 3,000 victims and survivors annually
Current Support 14
Expanded Support 15
Help us pursue justice on behalf of victims of abuse. Please make your generous contribution today. t Your donation to can provide: here are many ways you can support PWJC. We are in need of funds to expand all of our innovative programs in order to serve many more clients and unlock the doors to personal freedom and safety. In addition to financial support, you are invited to contribute to our cause by volunteering your services. We are looking for attorneys to volunteer their time on our Helpline and in our Family Court Legal Program and for paralegals to volunteer their time in our Bridge the Gap Program. All contributions are meaningful.
PWJC
Free legal services for 120 domestic violence clients
$100,000
Assistance to 125 survivors seeking protective orders
$50,000
Reach 5,000 people through training and outreach
$25,000
Free legal assistance to 20 victims of elder abuse
$10,000
Become a Champion of the Pace Women’s Justice Center
$5,000
Become a Supporter of the Pace Women’s Justice Center
$1,000
To learn more about how you can make a difference, please contact Jana Kosberg-Kleidman Associate Director 914.422.4638 jkleidman@law.pace.edu For more information about our programs and services, please call 914.422.4069 or visit law.pace.edu/wjc
16
Art Direction & Design: Ellen Shapiro Illustrations: Edel Rodriguez Attorney photo: Margaret Fox This brochure was made possible by a generous grant from the Verizon Foundation and with services partially donated by Ellen Shapiro of Visual Language LLC, Irvington, NY