One of only three awards granted in U.S.
Unity House’s Domestic Violence Services program, which offers comprehensive services to victims and survivors of dating and domestic abuse, will receive the Roth Award from The Mary Byron Project.
The Roth Award from the Mary Byron Project was created specifically for programs that address the needs of underserved populations. The award goes to programs that provide services to those who are identified as such based on characteristics that include age, race, ethnicity, gender, faith, disabilities, low socio-economic status, non-English speaking, sexual preference, and surprisingly, victims from economically-comfortable suburban areas who traditionally do not know how to avail themselves of services or who are too ashamed to find them. In general, there is a lack of resources for these specific populations, or the individuals have difficulty accessing available resources.
You can read local coverage of the award in this Troy Record article.
The Unity House Law Project (UHLP) fills a unique need for victims of domestic violence and others at Unity House who are in need of legal services for civil matters. Victims of domestic violence fleeing from abusive partners must frequently engage the civil legal system in order to resolve issues such as child custody and support, legal separation/divorce and housing. Unfortunately, the civil legal system is complex and rife with ignorance about domestic violence and bias against victims. As a result, many victims of domestic violence remain in abusive relationships for years because they are afraid of losing their children or becoming homeless, and/or because they lack necessary resources to provide for their own safety and that of their children. Lack of access to high quality representation may lead those victims who have fled their abuser to make poor legal decisions, often resulting in a loss of child custody or denial of access to marital or other resources. Initially funded by private donations, UHLP has subsequently received both State and Federal funding for its work.
Unity House is grateful to The Mary Bryon Project for the Roth Award in the amount of $10,000. This valuable support will be used to provide direct service to people in need, including improved access to people in more remote locations of our area. Unity House is one of only three organizations that received support from The Mary Byron Project and its Celebrating Solutions grant program.
About The Mary Bryon Project: The Mary Byron Project cultivates and supports efforts that extend beyond crisis management to attack the root causes of the domestic violence epidemic. The Project’s Celebrating Solutions Awards recognize innovative programs that demonstrate promise in ending the generational cycle of domestic violence. The focus is on pioneering programs that can serve as models for the nation. Four awards of $10,000 are presented each year. (An additional Roth Award of $10,000 recognizes one program that specifically addresses the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations.)
A reminder that help for victims of dating and domestic abuse is always available: Call Unity House’s 24 Hour Emergency Hotline for domestic violence at (518) 272-2370.