We know that violent crime and trafficking victim cases require more than legal assistance and litigation. To expand the services we provide to these cases, we developed a strategic approach: the Survivor Advancement Program. This team focuses not only on trauma-informed legal assistance and representation, but also on helping survivors to navigate the sometimes complex systems of community and government resources, to address their holistic needs.

Survivor Advancement

Staff Training: We ensure our staff members provide holistic and trauma-informed services to immigrant survivors of crimes by providing all staff and partners with training on trauma-informed legal practices.

Partnerships: We build and maintain partnerships with community service providers. This allows us to make smooth referrals and integrate case management into the bigger picture of the survivors journey.

Direct Services: We provide direct legal services, connect survivors to the right resources, and offer social services and case management. With all of these options, survivors are able to decide for themselves what they need, and we help them make it happen.

Systems Change: We know that direct services are not enough. That's why we fight for system's level changes that address the issues we see on the ground. Click here to learn more about our legal advocacy.

Pathways Navigation

NMILC is part of the Pathways to a Healthy Bernalillo County program. We are able to help our clients, who are typically left out of many social safety nets, to access resources they need to survive by providing culturally-competent case management. This client- centered approach emphasizes teaching people to navigate systems on their own and to be able to advocate for themselves in the future, while addressing their most pressing needs in the present. Learn more about the Pathways model here.

Helping Survivors Under COVID-19

Under new socially distancing guidelines, our Survivor Advancement Team quickly pivoted to a remote model that at times focuses more on the basic needs immigrant survivors may need under the global pandemic through emergency funds rather than solely performing legal work. Clients were able to transition to a totally different way of working with us, and continued to remain completely committed to moving their legal cases forward.