Tester Secures Nearly $1.9 Million To Provide Legal Assistance to Survivors of Violence Across Montana

Funding will come from the FY24 government funding bill

As part of his continued effort to support survivors of violence, U.S. Senator Jon Tester last week secured $1,889,915 to provide legal assistance to survivors across Montana. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester was instrumental in securing this funding from the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) through the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) government funding bill. Three separate grants will be awarded to the Montana Legal Services Association in Missoula, the Friendship Center in Helena, and Haven in Bozeman. 

“Survivors of violence have already gone through enough, and it’s our job to make sure they know what options are available to them under the law,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have secured this funding to support top-notch organizations across the Treasure State helping folks forge a path forward, and I’ll keep working to make our communities safer for all Montanans.”

A breakdown of the funding can be found below:

• $750,000 – Montana Legal Services Association (Missoula, MT)
  • This funding to support the Legal Assistance for Victims project will provide legal advice and services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Northwestern, North Central, Central, and Southwestern Montana, including American Indians from the Rocky Boy’s, Fort Belknap, and Blackfeet Reservations, and members of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
• $745,810 – Friendship Center (Helena, MT)
  • This funding to support the Legal Assistance for Victims project will provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence in Lewis & Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater Counties in Montana. 
• $394,105 – Haven (Bozeman, MT)
  • This funding for the new Legal Assistance for Victims – Expanding Legal Services Initiative project, will go toward planning and implementing a comprehensive legal services program to provide legal representation in addition to current legal advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Gallatin County, Montana. 

Tester has worked tirelessly to ensure that Montana survivors of violence have the resources they need to get back on their feet. He has been a longtime supporter of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and supported the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act to continue and improve this critical law.

In addition to supporting VAWA funding, Tester has also been a champion for federal resources to prevent and respond to domestic violence, including funding for law enforcement and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding. After noticing a considerable diminishing balance in the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), Tester also crafted and passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act to increase deposits and maintain the solvency of the fund.