"Thank you for your help with my case. I was able to focus on my (counseling) program instead of being enveloped with stress..."
"This has gone a long way to restoring my faith in people."
"You guys have been great. I don't know what I would have done without your help."
"Without you here (at court) I would have felt so alone."
Street Law’s clients face significant barriers in accessing or understanding their rights. Our clients often present with multiple legal problems which require a range of interventions and advanced levels of advocacy. The majority of our clients also struggle with mental health issues. Street Law understands how one problem can lead to another and that homelessness triggers an array of legal problems.
Click here to view our Client Service Charter.
To help people who are homeless and those at risk of homelessness access their rights, Street Law provides legal advice and advocacy on a range of legal issues including:
Street Law undertakes ongoing advocacy for clients where the legal issues connect to homelessness and where issues of human rights violations are identified. Street Law focuses its litigation work on high impact areas and human rights cases where positive change may result for many people.
Street Law provides training to community and government workers on how the law works including our “How to Spot a Legal Issue” session. Trainings are available for community and government agencies and can be tailored to your needs. Click here for more information on our 3-part CLE Series “Tricks of the Legal Trade”
Street Law makes connections between all aspects of its service to inform law reform campaigns and undertake policy initiatives. Street Law uses this knowledge to contribute to the work of other services as well as other Community Legal Centres.
Street Law will develop the capacity of clients to become advocates on issues affecting them and other homeless people. Street Law will establish a service user reference group to inform its work.
Working in partnership with its local universities, Street Law is developing courses and fellowships to connect research and social justice education to its work.
Ms R is an elderly women who had been living in a room above a pub for several months. She has profound mental health problems, a disability, does not read or understand English well and has no access to private transportation. Her applications for public housing had been repeatedly refused. Street Law made representations to the housing department for Ms R and after initial resistance her housing application was accepted and a home allocated in 1 day.
JF had been refused a grant of legal aid for a serious criminal matter on the grounds of no prospects of success. JF was not able to afford representation and had a very bad experiences with the legal system and police. Street Law assisted the client by making representations about the charges and eventually they were withdrawn at court.
Mr H sought Street Law's help with a taxation matter. After further discussions it became clear that he also needed help with debt issues, housing, superannuation, Centrelink and mental health concerns. Mr H is like many of our clients, he struggles with multiple legal issues and layers of disadvantage.