The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) is proud to announce it has been awarded a $900,000 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. This funding will allow LaFASA to provide free, trauma-informed legal representation to sexual assault survivors across Louisiana who were harmed by someone other than an intimate partner—a survivor population that is often underserved in existing legal systems.
Through this groundbreaking initiative, LaFASA will become only the second organization in Louisiana to operate a LAV-funded legal program specifically focused on non-intimate partner sexual assault cases. The first is STAR (Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response), which has operated a similar program for a decade now. Together, LaFASA and STAR will now serve as two of only a handful of legal programs in the country committed to representing survivors in this unique category.
“This award represents a critical expansion of justice and healing for sexual assault survivors in Louisiana,” said Rafael de Castro, Executive Director of LaFASA. “Far too often, survivors harmed by someone outside of an intimate relationship face significant barriers when trying to access the legal system. We are honored to be able to respond to that need.”
Morgan Lamandre, President & CEO of STAR, applauded the announcement:
“We are thrilled to see LaFASA join us in providing specialized legal services to non-intimate partner sexual assault survivors. This work is essential and often overlooked. The addition of another organization committed to this mission will allow us to expand our collective reach and ensure more survivors have access to the justice and protection they deserve.”
The LAV grant will fund legal services over several years that include protective orders, privacy and safety rights, housing protections, and education access for sexual assault survivors, with an emphasis on empowering those who are often excluded from legal resources due to the nature of their assault. Sean Cassidy, who has served as LaFASA's legal advocate for nearly ten years, will advance as the new Legal Director for the expanded legal assistance program.
LaFASA encourages survivors and referring partners to contact the organization for more information about services.
