Children & Families of Iowa

 Every year, Children & Families of Iowa domestic violence services assist thousands of people, many of whom are children, through safe shelter, hotline, outreach, and advocacy. During the last fiscal year, they provided civil court advocacy to 336 individuals and criminal court advocacy to 278 individuals. In total, 4,217 were directly served by CFI’s Domestic Violence Shelter and Services last fiscal year. 

CFI’s clients are often recovering from abusive relationships that go beyond physical and emotional damage. These women require assistance with obtaining restraining orders, resolving custody disputes, filing criminal charges against their assailants, and other legal matters.

The purpose of CFI’s domestic violence advocates is to empower clients through legal education and service referrals, ultimately enabling them to make well-informed decisions. CFI’s domestic violence advocates are not lawyers and do not offer legal advice. Instead, these discussions typically include general information on the legal system and the client’s legal rights. CFI’s domestic violence advocates ensure that clients are well-informed when the time comes to take legal action for themselves and/or against their offender. CFI’s goal for all domestic violence clients is a return to self-sufficiency and safety.

Requested funds would be used to support the compensation of domestic violence advocates specializing in legal advocacy.