Survivor Achieves Safety and Stability with LAFLA by Her Side
“I welcomed the chance to be a complete family, and I was very hopeful for our future together.” Blanca* left Mexico for Long Beach in hopes of building a better life for her three young children. Being a single mother in a new country was challenging, but she worked hard to support her family. When […]
Pro Bono Spotlight: Netflix Sponsors DACA Fees for Survivor
Recently, our partners at Netflix sponsored LAFLA client Thalia in applying for immigration status while she recovered from a horrific incident of domestic violence.
Fighting for Domestic Violence Survivors
Juliette Ford, the author, is a paralegal with the Supporting Families Workgroup who co-runs LAFLA’s domestic violence hotline and legal clinic. I have been working in domestic violence (DV) professionally for several years. When the need to share that fact presents itself, I always add “professionally.” Like many others in DV, my first encounter with […]
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
“I learned more from them about perseverance and bravery than words can describe.” Judge Lee Bogdanoff “Over the 10 years I have volunteered at the clinic, I have worked with hundreds of clients. Their individual stories have touched me, angered me, saddened me, inspired me, and heartened me.” Grace Mitsuhata Domestic Violence Awareness Month is […]
A (Safer at Home) Day in the Life of a LAFLA Staffer
LAFLA Senior Attorney Paula Cohen has spent more than 25 years of her life assisting some of LAFLA’s most vulnerable clients – those suffering abuse and violence at home, yet without the financial resources to move safely elsewhere. Paula’s entire career has focused on working with domestic violence victims, helping them to secure safety, stable […]
Fighting for a Better Future for Women
Every day, LAFLA supports and empowers low-income women who are enduring some of the most traumatic, stressful situations of their lives. During Women’s History Month, we reflect on the historically disadvantaged position that women occupy—and emphasize the need for equal access to justice. More than two-thirds of LAFLA’s clients are women: Many of them seek […]
LAFLA Attorneys “Adopt a Shelter” to Help Domestic Violence Survivors
It is a story that is all too familiar for the staffers at WomenShelter of Long Beach (WSLB): A domestic violence survivor seeks help physically escaping her abuser, but has trouble legally freeing herself. LAFLA started the Adopt-a-Shelter program in 2018 to reach more domestic violence survivors, and provide critical legal help. Our attorneys hold […]
Bullied Teenager Free from Abuse
After being repeatedly harassed by an abusive ex-boyfriend and his high school friends, 17-year-old Natalie* knew she needed a restraining order, but she did not know how to obtain one. She could not afford an attorney, but she instinctively knew she needed to do something to protect herself. Natalie went to a Legal Aid Foundation […]