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PROJECT UPDATES
DVI Director and Associate Clinical Professor, Margo Lindauer (second from left) with DVI Clinic studentsPhoto: Dana Smith
Welcome to our DVI-NuLawLab Project Inaugural Newsletter! We are excited to share with you more information about our Project and exciting new developments!
As you know, this Project was initially imagined as a short-term rapid response to COVID-19 for individuals experiencing intimate partner abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.
We are delighted to report that the Project is now a sustainable long-term effort to expand legal, social and therapeutic services provided by the Domestic Violence Institute to the Greater Boston area, with emphasis on Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan. To date, through your help, we have raised $84,000 to support these efforts!
Thank you for your generous gifts!
Last week, we had two major developments. First, we officially launched our virtual clinic! Our website — DVILegal.org — is up and running. Second, we partnered with a local hotel chain to provide safe, secure shelter for individuals and their families experiencing abuse in their homes. You can read more about these developments and the next phase of our fundraising efforts below.
WEBSITE UPDATES
On July 1, we launched our virtual clinic via DVILegal.org. Confronting access to justice issues is an important part of the work we do at the DVI. Our website allows clients to engage with us in non-traditional ways — providing a safe alternative to seek legal services and support.
The website features an “Escape Site” button that allows users the option to discretely leave the site, making access to online services safer for people experiencing harm. We also offer information to users on how to clear their browsing history so their online footprint is harder for an abusive partner or family member to track.
In addition, the website includes: (1) information about where to access services and resources within the greater Boston community; (2) information on services provided by the DVI and; (3) a short informational intake form that connects community members to a team of students, attorneys, and a case worker.
At present, the DVI open for remote operations in English; however, we are translating the webpage into other languages. In Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan there are five primary languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese and English. The first waive of translations will be in Haitian Creole and Spanish. As our fundraising increases, we will follow-up with Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese.
FUNDRAISING UPDATES
Phase 1: $84,000!
Phase 1: $84,000!
Thanks to the generosity of institutional and individual donors and collaborators, and the hard work of faculty, staff and students, we successfully raised $84,000 in four months!
So ... what does 84k get us?
In addition to remote Northern University School of Law (NUSL) faculty, staff and student assistance consistent with ordinary DV Clinic operations, our Project has partnered with Quadrant 2 — an application (app) developer — to provide clinic clients with a novel, secure means of audio-documenting their experiences of abuse; and (3) access to fillable online court forms and e-filing.
We've also hired a case manager — Kerline Tofuri — who will connect clients to much needed social, mental and therapeutic services. Tofuri brings a wealth of knowledge in case management and client-centered care to our team. Her work is consistent with providing holistic legal care and wraparound support offered by the DVI for the vulnerable populations we serve.
Phase II: Shelter!
Phase II: Shelter!
We also have a new partnership with a regional hospitality group to provide Boston hotel rooms for safe, supervised, emergency shelter ...
but we first need to raise enough money to fund it. Please check out our fundraising page for more information on how you can help secure emergency shelter for individuals and families in need.
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