Overview
The Office of Civil Legal Aid administers three distinct programs within its Family and Safety portfolio: Domestic Violence Legal Aid, Kinship Legal Services, and Legal Aid for Victims of Crime (VOCA). Each of these programs was established to support civil legal aid for people who have experienced specific, often life-altering circumstances—such as surviving domestic violence, providing kinship care, or being a victim of crime. Rather than being limited to a particular area of law, these programs are designed to fund a wide range of legal services that respond to the complex and varied legal needs arising from these experiences.
“Although Washington State has enacted laws that provide protections to victims of domestic and sexual violence, legal assistance is needed to enforce them.” - WASHINGTON STATE SUPREME COURT GENDER AND JUSTICE COMMISSION, 2021 GENDER JUSTICE STUDY (2021)