Press Releases

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) today announced $1.15 million in federal funding will be awarded to the Women’s Resource Center to support their housing and legal assistance initiatives. The funds are disbursed through the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Congress provided $502,500,000 to the office for fiscal year 2020.

“I admire Women’s Resource Center’s efforts to provide safe housing and legal assistance to empower survivors of domestic violence to seek justice,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a concerning rise in domestic violence cases as people are spending more time at home and stress levels are elevated. Organizations like Women’s Resource Center and the funding to support their work are more important than ever as we help survivors during this challenging time.”

“WRC serves 2,000 survivors each year and sixty percent of them report needing housing and/or legal assistance. These funds are crucial to keeping families safe in our community,” said Margaret A. Ruddy, Executive Director for the Women’s Resource Center serving Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties.

Women’s Resource Center will receive $600,000 through the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program to support one full-time staff attorney, two full-time legal advocates, a bilingual legal assistant, and a full-time legal director to address survivors’ needs. They will also receive $550,000 through the Transitional Housing Assistance Program to aid victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who are experiencing homelessness or in need of transitional housing as a result of their victimization. The grant will fund program-leased housing options including scattered-site rental assistance.

Since 1976, Women’s Resource Center has offered free services to those experiencing domestic violence in Lackawanna and Susquehanna County regardless of their socioeconomic status.