Crime victims to get additional services from state

ALBANY – Crime victims
in the Hudson Valley and around the state will have a new online tool
to connect them with legal assistance in civil matters, such as housing
and immigration issues, and family court cases involving custody, support
and orders of orders of protection.
Armed with a $1 million federal grant, the state Office of Victim Services
will develop the Crime Victims’ Legal Network to allow individuals
to determine the type of legal help they need and then connect them with
resources to ensure their interests are represented, said OVS Director
Elizabeth Cronin.
“Sometimes being the victim of a crime ends up putting them in a different position, so  for an example, a domestic violence victim may need housing, they may have to do to family court; it may be somebody who has to go to immigration court and we traditionally kept all of these different legal needs in separate files,” Cronin said.
The new legal network will be designed to help people outside New York City where there are fewer civil legal services available, said Cronin.
The crime Victims’ Legal Network Advisory Committee includes a representative from Legal Services of the Hudson Valley and Worker’s Justice Center with offices in Kingston, Rochester and Albany.