POTTSVILLE -- A federal grant will soon help victims of domestic abuse in Schuylkill County. It's the only county in the state to receive money from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Schuylkill Women in Crisis Center in Pottsville sees at least 30 domestic violence victims a month, and now there's more money to help those victims.
Schuylkill County applied for and got a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for $450,000.
Some of that money will go toward a part-time assistant district attorney to focus on domestic violence cases.
"This grant will enable us to have an attorney available to help victims through the protection from abuse process, which is one of the most important remedies that they have in their path towards safety," said Sally Casey, Schuylkill Women in Crisis.
Schuylkill Women in Crisis will get about $100,000 for three years from that grant. That means the help center can a hire full-time legal advocate.
Casey expects that with more resources, more victims will come forward and ask for help.
"If victims feel that their systems are responsible, friendly and accessible then they're going to use them, but if they're not then people's anger, frustration, and fear can lead them to do things that maybe they otherwise wouldn't do," Casey said.
Newswatch 16 spoke with a domestic violence victim who says she didn't have an attorney when she went to court. She didn't get a protection from abuse order and was too embarrassed to go back.
"I didn't want to be ridiculed again. I just felt like I was the criminal and I didn't want to be turned down again in front of everybody."
The Schuylkill Women in Crisis Center says this new grant money will help when they have to come to court. Instead of coming by themselves to face their offenders, it pays for them to have an attorney to stand by their side.
"I know if I would've had one there with me right from the start, I would have more of a backbone. They would've been able to have my back, in other words."
The victim says she might go back and fight in court again with an attorney.