After years of limited access to legal representation for their residents, The Nest domestic violence shelter is entering into a new partnership with New Mexico Legal Aid. The organization, who gives assistance in civil legal cases to people who otherwise are not able to afford a private attorney, has new funding which will allow an attorney from their Roswell field office to visit Lincoln County & Mescalero residents at the shelter on a consistent basis.
According to Nest Executive Director, Coleen Widell, “We have used New Mexico Legal Aid in the past, but with fewer attorneys and the nearest field office being in Roswell, there was either a very long wait for representation or transportation problems.”
Widell went on to explain survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking encounter a variety of legal problems for which they require assistance, including Orders of Protection, child custody issues, child support, divorce or separation, landlord tenant problems, credit repair and access to benefits.
Not only residents at The Nest will benefit from the new partnership, “In addition, survivors who do not want or need to come into shelter for safety or services can still meet with a NMLA attorney here,” said Widell. “HEAL will coordinate the screening and referral of everyone in Lincoln County, regardless of whether they are current clients at The Nest, to ensure they meet criteria for free legal services.”
Miranda Fafard, Grants & Communications Manager for New Mexico Legal Aid, said, “Assistance can range anywhere from brief advice, to preparation of forms, educational clinics, support for self-representation, and full representation.” She continued, “Civil legal aid at New Mexico Legal Aid falls into four main practice areas including Family Law, Housing, Consumer and Public Benefits. We also have seven special projects we work on, including providing assistance to veterans, migrant farm workers, acequias communities, rural New Mexico residents, homeowners dealing with foreclosure, Native Americans and victims of domestic violence.”
When asked why it is important for survivors of domestic violence to have access to legal assistance, Farfard detailed, “One in three women, and one in four men have been victims of domestic violence. The mental and physical after-effects of domestic violence will most likely cause multiple barriers to justice for victims, including loss of housing, employment, food and healthcare among a few. All too often, a victim will return to their abuser due to economic need. It is important to not only ensure safety for a victim, and children if involved, but to ensure them a stable place to stay and access to their basic human needs so they may be able to move towards economic stability and away from the abuse.”
Rafaela Herrera-Solorzano, an attorney in the Roswell NM Legal Aid office, will be visiting The Nest and assisting clients with their legal needs. Herrera-Solorzano is an immigrant from Nicaragua and the daughter of a single-parent who worked as a maid, servant, and seamstress. “I chose to be an advocate for those individuals and families that cannot speak for themselves,” she explained. “My mother was a victim of domestic violence and because she could not speak English, she couldn’t tell her story and couldn’t access the assistance she needed to leave a violent situation. She wasn’t alone. There were many women and children in my neighborhood who shared this situation. The cycle of violence is hard to break, especially when the experts don’t speak Spanish or understand how poverty glues them to violence.”
HEAL Board Secretary and retired attorney, Pat Shukis-Fraser, will be an integral part of the new program. “I am excited about a partnership between Legal Aid and the Nest,” she said. “People coming out of abusive relationships often will need help from the justice system to give them another layer of protection from their abusers or stalkers. In rural communities like Lincoln County and Mescalero, that help is harder to come by than in more urban areas.”
Shukis-Fraser discussed the importance of bringing NM Legal Aid to Lincoln County, “Not everyone is eligible for services and not everyone who is eligible can make the trek to Roswell. Having a screening and referral process here in town with professional Advocates from The Nest, whether by phone or face-to-face, makes it a little easier for survivors at a time when just getting through the day may seem overwhelming.”
Assistance from NM Legal Aid is limited to referrals from shelters, but they also have a domestic violence helpline 1-877-974-3400, where individuals may speak confidentially to an attorney.
The program in Lincoln County will begin on October 1st. Survivors interested in being screened for legal aid should contact Sue at (575) 378-6378 or toll-free at 1-866-378-6378.