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Over 50% of NOVACO clients speak English as their second language. Immigrant women and girls are amongst the most vulnerable in our communities. These families are the first to feel the effects of the downturn in the economy, as they are living paycheck to paycheck, and only just getting by. This financial situation increases the risk of violence as frustration breeds abuse.
In 2009, NOVACO suffered a loss of important donations and funding. We need your support to keep up the services to the families in our housing program and to serve the increasing number of clients asking for help and services only that are working to stay in their own housing. Working full time, some not receiving child support, determined to make it on their own.
With your $5.00 donation, we can treat a child to a hot meal!
$20.00 will pay for groceries for the family for a day.
Just $35.00 will take care of gas to drive to school and work for 5 days.
$50.00 donation will pay for one week of classes in ESL, or other schooling for the mom.
$120.00 will help support childcare for the family for a week.
$180.00 will cover emergency medical care for the client or their child.
$350.00 pays for utilities, electric, water, and gas for a month.
We have relied on our community for the past 10 years to show our clients that they are not alone as they struggle to overcome abuse We thank you for making them feel loved. Please send whatever amount you choose for our families. We will send you a personal Thank you.
As part of the year-long commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Justice Department has joined with the U.S. Senate to designate the entire month of February as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month." Research and publications from OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are helping to define the complex issues involved in teen and preteen relationships.
The National Institute of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, is studying teen dating violence among Latino and high risk youth, and the effectiveness of community-based prevention programs for girls in foster care and of school-based prevention programs.
Because teen dating violence has only recently been recognized as a significant public health problem, the complex nature of this phenomenon is not fully understood. Consequently, those in the field have to rely on an adult framework to examine the problem of teen dating violence.
However, adult relationships differ substantially from adolescent dating in their power and control dynamics, social skill levels and development, and peer influence. These factors are vital to understanding violence and abuse in early romantic relationships and may help explain the similar occurrence rates of teen dating violence among boys and girls suggested by current statistics.
Resources can be found at-www.ojp.usdoj.gov/Familyviolence
Virginia
Department of Housing and Community Development
The department has two first-time-home-buyer programs to help low- and moderate-income people with down payments. A home buyer can participate in one of the programs but not both.
Virginia Individual Development Account Program: The state will match every dollar saved by the home buyer with $2, for up to $4,000. If the home buyers save $2,000 on their own, they would be eligible for up to $4,000 from the state to help make their down payment. 888-843-2946.
Another program to help income-eligible families may provide first-time home buyers with up to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home to cover the down payment. That jumps to 20 percent in some higher-cost parts of the state through another fund. These programs are geared to help low income families with at least one child under 18 living in the home.
Virginia Housing Development Authority
877-843-2123
FHA Plus: First-time home buyers who are having trouble coming up with the 3 percent down payment required for FHA loans can tap into the state's housing financing program. The buyer would get a 30-year loan for up to 5 percent of the purchase price to cover the down payment and part of the closing costs.
Maryland
Department of Housing and Community Development
HOPE hotline (foreclosure prevention): 877-462-7555
More House 4 Less (for information on mortgage products): 800-638-7781
http://www.morehouse4less.com, http://dhcd.state.md.us
Down Payment and Settlement Expense Loan Program: Borrowers who qualify for the state's mortgage program may also qualify for a $2,500 loan that can be applied toward their down payment. It is a no-interest loan that is not paid back until the homeowner sells or refinances the home.
House Keys 4 Employees: Borrowers who receive a contribution from eligible employers can receive a grant worth up to $5,000 for down payment assistance.
Qualified borrowers may also be eligible to receive a grant worth 2 percent to 3 percent of the purchase price of their home that could be applied to their down payment or closing costs.
The District
Department of Housing and Community Development
202-442-7200
Home Purchase Assistance Program: First-time home buyers can qualify for a loan of up to $70,000 to cover their down payment on a home in the District. Repayment is deferred for the first five years.
Employer Assisted Housing Program: D.C. government employees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters, can apply for matching funds worth up to $1,500 for a down payment. The city also provides deferred loans of up to $10,000 for down payment assistance.
D.C. Housing Finance Agency
202-777-4663
Assisted-rate loans: Below-market-rate loans are available through the D.C. Bond Program. Buyers may also be eligible for a 3 percent grant for down payment and closing cost assistance.
The report cards are designed to draw attention to the discrepancies between the protections afforded to adult victims of violence as compared to teen victims. States were graded on an A through F scale. Those states that do not allow minors to obtain restraining orders were given an automatic failure. Fifteen states received an "F" while only three California, New Hampshire and Oklahoma - received "A." Along with the grades, Break the Cycle released recommendations for improvement of state domestic violence laws.
For more information, read the full report on the website.
http://www.breakthecycle.org/resources-state-law-report-cards.html
Over 40% of NOVACO graduates have gone on to purchase their own homes!
VAWA FUNDING VICTORY!
The US Senate passed a $10 million increase for VAWA programs. The amendment, sponsored by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Patty Murray (D-WA) includes the following increases:
IMMIGRANT VICTIMS ABILITY TO CALL THE POLICE PROTECTED!
The U.S. Senate also voted to defeat the Vitter Amendment by 52-42 votes! This is a clear victory for immigrant women in abusive relationships. The Vitter Amendment would have denied Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants to cities that do not ask about immigration status when people report crimes. As you know, this would have had a devastating effect on immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence, who likely would have become extremely reluctant to call the police.
Please thank -
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