Justice for people experiencing homelessness

Street Law Centre provides free outreach legal services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Western Australia.

www.streetlawcentre.org.au

ocpolicy@streetlawcentre.org.au

On census night in 2011 over 16,000 people in Western Australia were either sleeping on park benches, under bridges, in squats, doorways, alleys, couch surfing, staying in houses that were overcrowded, refuges, in foster care or caravan parks. These people are homeless.

Homeless persons are likely to have at least one if not more serious legal problems which can severely reduce their chances of exiting homelessness.

Street Law is the only homeless persons free outreach legal service in Western Australia. Street Law gives homeless people and those at risk of homelessness access to free legal information, advice and education and where necessary legal representation.

Street Law doesn't do it alone. To maintain its service Street Law has developed partnerships with law firms who provide Street Law with volunteer lawyers to assist with service delivery.

We work towards breaking the cycle of homelessness by:

• Making lawyers more accessible through our outreach legal clinics at 5 locations throughout the Perth metropolitan area
• Providing community legal education to homelessness support workers and those that are experiencing homelessness
• Providing a freecall advice line
• Developing policy and law reform submissions on issues that affect the homeless

Why Street Law needs you help

Until now Street Law's legal service has been funded via Commonwealth and State Government sources and the Public Purposes Trust of the Law Society of WA has funded our community legal education program. The reduction and conclusion of a number of our funding sources mean our services are at risk.

We know that our services provide vital support for some of our community's most vulnerable members, and we are seeking your assistance to sustain this support.

Our aim is to raise $200,000 to ensure our legal clinics and legal education programs can continue to run.

Help us reach our goal