LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF OC (COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCAL) (2)

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City of Santa Ana CDBG Scope of Work Program Year 2019-20 (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020) Name of Organization Community Legal Aid of So. Cal. Name of Funded Program Domestic Violence PreventionProgram Annual Accomplishment Goal Unduplicated Participants anticipated to be served during the 12-month contract period. 32 TOTAL r7732lSantaAna Participants 1 100%1 1 32 Low Income Participants 100% Schedule of Performance (estimated) Quarter 1: JUL 1 - SEP 30 Quarter 2: OCT 1 - DEC 31 Quarter 3: JAN 1 - MAR 31 Quarter 4: APR 1 - JUN 30 Unduplicated Participants 8 a 8 8 32 Program and Funding Description Estimated Invoicing W38000.00 Staff from CLA SoCal (formerly Legal Aid Society of Orange County) provide free legal help to domestic violence survivors who have been mentally, physically, sexually and financially abused by intimate partners. CDBG funding from the City of Santa Ana will help underwrite our successful program to provide Santa Ana survivors with "wraparound" legal services. These services not only address critical legal needs that arise from escape, but also seek to remove legal barriers that keep victims tied to their abusers. In 2017, there were 843 domestic violence (DV) calls to the Santa Ana Police Department — more than 16 calls per week —and the number has been on the rise since 2014. In our work, we see survivors whose undocumented status has been weaponized to keep them tied to their abusers. And we see a lot of mothers with children: the 1,106 self -reported victims of domestic violence in Orange County who received our help in 2017 reported 2,090 children in their care. Children who live in a home with domestic abuse are 1500% more likely to be abused or neglected than the national average, with exposure to violence being the most significant predictor of whether or not someone will be engaged in domestic violence later in life. The toxic stress faced by these children can have lifelong impacts, affecting their learning (and the learning of their classmates), their health and how they will be able to function in society as adults. Free legal services can be key to stopping this cycle of violence. When a DV victim contacts CLA SoCal, whether through our Hotline, a referral from a shelter or an appointment through the Orange County Family Justice Center, the first order of business is to ensure that the survivor and her family is safe (roughly 90% of our DV clients are female), and to obtain the emergency protective orders needed to prevent further contact by the abuser. (In a 2003 study from American University, that the ability of a victim to obtain a protective order increased from 32% without an attorney to 83% with a Legal Aid attorney. Next, CLA SoCal's trauma -informed staff provide in-depth "legal checkups" to identify other legal problems that keep a victim from leaving their abuser. These run a wide gamut, including debt and lack of financial security, lack of employment, housing insecurity, family law matters (e.g. custody and divorce), immigration status, etc. When we can offer holistic legal services that help our clients successfully dismantle these obstacles, these problems no longer compel victims to return to their abusers. CDBG funding will allow CLA SoCal staff to continue providing direct attorney and paralegal assistance to Santa Ana residents. This includes providing counsel and advice; pleading preparation; settlement negotiations; and representation before courts and/or administrative agencies when needed. For example: an undocumented immigrant woman is repeatedly assaulted by her husband. He not only physically and mentally abuses her, but controls the household money and threatens to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she reports him. Determined to get herself and her children to safety, she calls CLA SoCal's Hotline, where she is assigned to our bilingual Santa Ana CDBG Project staff. They will not only help her obtain emergency and permanent protective orders, but can help her apply for special immigration protections that apply to victims of domestic violence. They can assist her in obtaining a divorce and custody of her children, and in negotiating with her landlord to stay in her home. We will also refer her to shelters, the Orange County Family Justice Center, medical providers, faith -based organizations, and/or promotoras throughout the county for additional services — any route that will support short-term safety and long-term well-being. CLA SoCal makes these services available on a daily basis through our Hotline and appointments with