A WPXI.com March 14, 2024 news article stated that the Pennsylvania Governor's Office announced  $12 Million in federal funding will be allocated to services to help victims of violence. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) will be awarding STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants to counties and non-profit victim service agencies. Counties and service agencies may apply for up to  $125,000 for 12-month projects. PCCD will fund as many as 32 grants under this program. The grants will provide for collaborative teams of service providers to help protect victims of domestic violence and to enforce the laws against offenders. If you are a victim of domestic abuse, then contact the Family Law Team at the LLF Law Firm offices at 888-535-3686.  

Strengthening the Response to Domestic Violence 

The additional funds available to county governments and service agencies working in collaboration to support women suffering from abuse should help strengthen the community's response to domestic violence. The PCCD Executive Director Mike Pennington stated, "PCCD is proud to support communities in their efforts to come together to develop and strengthen effective responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and promote positive outcomes for victims. The education, prevention, intervention, and cross-system coordination provided by county STOP teams are critical in curbing abuse and violence in Pennsylvania." 

Obtaining a Protection from Abuse Order 

The Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse Act outlines the process for obtaining and enforcing a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order. The grounds for filing this order are that the individual is a victim of domestic abuse and that the abuser is a member of the family household. Absent an emergency where a victim can go directly to the police for help, the normal procedure is to petition the court for a PFA order during normal business hours. The victim will meet with the judge without the abuser present, and the judge will decide whether to order a temporary PFA order that will be enforceable until such time as an evidentiary hearing with both parties can be scheduled and a final  PFA order can be issued. 

The purpose of a final PFA order is to grant a final order protecting victims of domestic violence. This order grants legally enforceable protection to victims of domestic violence for a period of up to three years and can only be extended or modified by the court. 

Seek the Strongest Degree of Protection with a PFA Order 

A Protection From Abuse order can provide protection and peace of mind to a victim of domestic violence. To protect all the rights of the victim, the advice of a trained legal professional is necessary. If you or a loved one need to obtain a  Pennsylvania PFA order, do not delay. Contact the LLF Family Law Team at their offices by calling 888-535-3686.