Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Domestic Violence Support topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery County Prothonotary outlines HopeCard for domestic‑violence survivors
Summary
Montgomery County Prothonotary Noah Marlier presented the HopeCard program — a wallet card carrying PFA identifiers and local resource contacts — and described electronic packet intake and outreach plans to make protections easier and faster for survivors.
Noah Marlier, Montgomery County Prothonotary, told the Horsham Township Council that his office has introduced a wallet-sized "HopeCard" for survivors of domestic violence that carries the state PFAD identifier and petitioner/defendant information on one side and local support contacts on the other.
"It's got the petitioner's name, the plaintiff, the defendant," Marlier said, describing the card's front side, and added that the back lists resources including Laurel House, the Women's Center of Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County. He said HopeCards are issued in conjunction with final PFA orders and mailed with an explanatory letter a few days after the order is entered, and that the program is low-cost, limited to printing and laminating.
Marlier also described intake and processing changes aimed at reducing the time survivors spend at the courthouse. He told council members his office receives "30 to 50 petitioners a week" and that petitioners currently complete a 27‑page state packet; Montgomery County now makes the packet available electronically so petitioners can start or finish it online and the prothonotary's staff imports the information into the state PFAD system when the petitioner reports in person.
The Prothonotary emphasized that PFAs are civil orders decided by a preponderance of evidence and that violations can result in quasi‑criminal contempt charges. He said the county worked with the president judge to clarify that when county courts stop accepting petitioners for the day, district judges may still issue emergency PFAs so survivors are not left without a remedy during afternoon hours.
Council members asked about processing time and overflow; Marlier said that while some days are brief, others with many petitioners can extend intake into the afternoon. He recommended township offices and police departments display literature and post program information on township social media; a council member offered to help with promotional photos for the program.
The presentation concluded with Marlier describing outreach efforts across Montgomery County to familiarize municipal elected officials and police with the HopeCard and related resources.
