Advocacy & Accompaniment
Court Advocacy & Accompaniment
You do not have to be alone when you go to court to seek justice and safety through the legal system. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, Hope Center’s advocates provide free and confidential court accompaniment, support, information, and advocacy as your case progresses through the legal system.
You may be able to obtain immediate, court-mandated protection through a civil Protection from Abuse (PFA) Order, regardless of whether criminal charges are filed against your abuser. A PFA is the only civil order in which violating it is a criminal offense.
Depending upon circumstances, the PFA can do any or all of the following:
- order the abuser to stop the violent behavior and refrain from harassing, contacting, or stalking you;
- exclude the abuser from your residence;
- grant temporary custody of your minor children to you;
- order payment to you of temporary support and out-of-pocket losses;
- order the abuser to turn over weapons to the police.
Victims Compensation Assistance
A Hope Center advocate can help victims interested and eligible for reimbursement from the Victims Compensation Assistance Program in Pennsylvania. This program helps victims and their families through the emotional and physical aftermath of a crime by easing the financial impact placed upon them by the crime. A victim may be eligible to receive financial help from the Victims Compensation Assistance Program for a variety of expenses such as, medical and counseling expenses, loss of earnings, loss of support, stolen cash, relocation, funeral, or crime scene cleanup. The Victims Compensation Assistance Program will not reimburse for pain and suffering or for stolen or damaged property (except some medical items such as canes, wheelchairs, eyeglasses, hearing aids or medications).
To receive financial help from the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, you must:
- Be a victim of a crime that happened in Pennsylvania or a Pennsylvania resident who was injured or killed in a foreign country that does not have a compensation program, and
- Report the crime or file a Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) within three days of the crime, and
- Cooperate with the police, courts, and the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, and
- File the claim for compensation within two years of the crime, and
- Not be involved in illegal activity that may have caused the crime to happen, and
- Have an out of pocket expense of at least $100 because of the crime (if you are less than 60 years old).
Some exceptions to the above requirements exist (especially if the victim is younger than 18 years).
The best way to file a claim is with the help of a Hope Center advocate. Or you may download the victim’s compensation claim form, complete, and submit to the Victims Compensation Assistance Program. You may also contact the Victims Compensation Assistance Program directly at 800.233.2339 for assistance in filing a claim or to speak to staff who are available to answer your questions.
Medical Advocacy & Accompaniment
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 37% of all women who sought care in hospital emergency rooms for violence-related injuries were incurred by a current or former intimate partner.
If you have ever gone to the hospital or your doctor for the injuries you received at the hands of your partner, or if you were too afraid to tell your doctor about what happened to you, you are not alone.
If a patient identifies as a victim of domestic violence, Hope Center advocates can talk to them on the phone from the hospital or medical office and/or meet them where they are to talk, offer services, and provide support.