Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Program

huong picture

After 8 Years of Abuse, a Grandmother Receives Help to Find Sanctuary & Stability

“Huong”, a grandmother from Vietnam, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in November 2006 to visit her sister, never intending to stay. A few months later she met “Tung” who was very charming. The relationship progressed quickly, and Huong agreed to marry him and stay in the U.S. Tung then  promised…

Crime victims often experience difficult legal problems that can’t be solved through the criminal law system.

For example, a victim of an assault may be unable to work, leading to financial distress including an eviction and debt collection problems. Or, a survivor of domestic violence may need legal help to get a divorce and child support.

The Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Initiative — CLAVC — helps victims of crime throughout Massachusetts with their related civil legal problems — including family law, housing, immigration, child welfare, consumer, identity theft and employment rights.

To get help from a CLAVC lawyer…

  1. You must be a victim or a survivor of a crime;
  2. You must have a civil (non criminal) legal problem that is a result of that crime; and
  3. You must live in Massachusetts, or the legal problem must be in Massachusetts.

The crime does not need to have been reported to the police or prosecuted.

Applicants for services under this program are not subject to GBLS income guidelines.