LASSA Evaluation Report

Based on 2015 research first reported by the Institute of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at the University of Texas at Austin, sexual assault is a public health problem affecting 6.3 million women and men, or 33.2% of adult Texans over their lifetime. Yet, only 9.2% of those in the study made reports to law enforcement. (Busch-Armendariz, Olaya-Rodriguez, Kammer-Kerwick, Wachter, & Sulley, 2015). Survivors of sexual assault need civil legal remedies, safety, support, and access to justice outside of the criminal justice system. In response, Texas lawmakers during the 2015-2017 biennium allocated $10 million to Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) for the purpose of connecting legal aid service providers across the state of Texas. In 2015, TAJF created the Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA) Network and hotline with nine organizations and various legal program specialties within each agency. LASSA provides free, comprehensive statewide legal services to survivors of sexual assault in every Texas county.This project was funded by Texas Legal Services Center and Texas Access to Justice Foundation. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Texas Legal Services Center or Texas Access to Justice Foundation.Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA