Justice for Older Adults

This program will implement projects that enhance services for older victims of abuse and financial exploitation. This program is intended to improve outcomes, minimize additional trauma, and restore safety and security to older adult victims of abuse and financial exploitation. This award, made to Lone Star Legal Aid, funded under OVC FY 2020 Enhancing Services for Older Victims of Abuse and Financial Exploitation program, is designed to support communities in providing services to older victims of abuse and exploitation.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) will implement Justice for Older Adults in 25 counties of East Texas -to provide free civil legal services for victims of elder abuse and financial exploitation to help them stay in their homes, to maintain autonomy and maximize choice, to obtain protection, to prevent continuation of abuse and exploitation, to establish financial security, and to otherwise maintain or establish a safe and stable later life. LSLA will do this through multiple strategies, including community outreach, partner training, reciprocal referrals, intake, and legal assistance. LSLA will also conduct office hours at strategically-selected partner locations, where project staff will provide on-the-spot intake and legal services, giving geographically underserved survivors quicker and easier access to legal services, especially for persons who cannot travel to an LSLA branch office, who do not have a phone to call the office for intake, or who experience literacy and other challenges that require face-to-face contact. LSLA will make critical advances in the Texas victim service delivery system for older adults. It will strengthen existing relationships; create new partnerships; establish service links where none exist; increase victim accessibility to free civil legal services; improve identification of legal needs; and increase referrals to LSLA. Finally, support of Justice for Older Adults will also increase awareness within the broader victim services community and beyond about the vital role that civil legal services play in the recovery of victims/survivors.
CA/NCF