The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada was recently designated to provide statewide assistance and support for victims.
Lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 481 in the 2021 Legislative Session that enabled the Division of Child and Family Services to create the first Statewide Victim Assistance Center to offer support services, training and technical assistance to communities.
During the bill’s hearing in May, Ross Armstrong, the division’s administrator, said the mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip in October 2017 “revealed the need for a designated victim center with processes, trained staff and victim-centered approaches to respond to complex and significant needs.”
Legal Aid had previously done victim assistance through the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, which was established after the shooting.
“For many victims of crime, there are no centralized victim-services, leading victims to navigate the system alone,” said Barbara Buckley, executive director of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, in a statement. “Our office looks forward to expanding the work of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center by helping more victims with trauma-informed services such as system navigation, assistance with Victims of Crime funding, legal aid, and help with behavioral health resources. It’s an honor to be involved in the first statewide victim assistance center.”
The center, which is designated until Sept. 30, 2026, will be able to connect victims to case management and information on counseling services as well as provide legal assistance.
For more information, visit lacsn.org.
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