Pathways to Justice for Immigrant Survivors

Immigrant and refugee support

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Immigrant survivors of domestic violence face compounding barriers that trap them in dangerous situations. Abusers weaponize immigration status, threatening deportation or family separation. Survivors often lack English proficiency, financial independence, and legal documentation. Many survivors are undocumented or have temporary status, with no access to legal relief, housing, or public benefits. Our clients are 70% immigrants (59% undocumented), 89% Latine, 58% limited English proficient, and 29% unstably housed. Policy shifts have heightened fear and reduced available support. These interconnected challenges - language, immigration status, housing instability, economic dependence - require a coordinated response. Without culturally responsive intervention, survivors remain vulnerable to continued violence and systemic neglect. No other Los Angeles County organization provides fully integrated legal and case management services tailored to immigrant survivors of domestic violence.

Funding will sustain and scale our holistic, trauma-informed approach to stabilizing immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking. We provide integrated Adjustment of Status Clinic+ legal services and intensive case management to help survivors secure legal status and rebuild safe, independent lives.
Our Clinic+ model goes beyond typical one-day immigration clinics. Survivors meet with pro bono attorneys in three-hour trauma-informed clinics and continue to receive representation until they achieve lawful permanent residency. This ensures no application is abandoned and survivors build trust with consistent legal counsel. Our 15 staff attorneys handle complex cases including Adjustment of Status, family-based petitions, and relief through VAWA, U-Visas, T-Visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Simultaneously, our 40+ Community Advocates conduct needs assessments using our 19-area wellbeing matrix, help survivors access benefits, coordinate housing and safety planning, and offer emotional support. They also lead Know Your Rights presentations, bridging language and trust gaps that isolate many immigrant survivors.
By combining these services, our approach addresses the legal, housing, and social barriers that keep survivors trapped in abuse. In the coming year, we will serve 700+ immigrants, including 30 survivors through Clinic+ services, helping them move from instability to permanent residency, economic independence, and thriving lives.

If successful, this project will transform Los Angeles County into a national model for immigrant survivor justice. Survivors will secure lawful permanent residency, work authorization, and stable housing—foundations that free them and their children from abuse and allow them to participate fully in civic life. As survivors build confidence and stability, they will engage more with community resources, advocate for themselves and their children, and help shape a more inclusive Los Angeles. Through our 26 coalition partnerships, our trauma-informed adaptation of the Clinic+ model will shift how legal and social service systems respond to immigrant survivors, creating a region where no one is forced to choose between safety and deportation.