Canberra young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness will now have greater access to free legal assistance thanks to a new health justice partnership between Street Law which is part of Canberra Community Law and the Junction Youth Health Service operated by Anglicare.
The partnership, which will officially launch on 18 October 2018 during National Anti-Poverty Week 2018, brings together lawyers, health workers and social services on-site at the one location allowing young people easier access to support.
Farzana Choudhury, Street Law Program Manager/Solicitor is thrilled with the opportunities this partnership offers to vulnerable young Canberrans. “We want to ensure that young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness have greater access to services and other support. Through this partnership, Street Law hopes to empower young people by helping them access services, navigate the legal system and understand their legal rights.”
Anthony Egeland, Anglicare Regional Manager for Youth and Family Services, is also delighted to see the partnership established. “The Junction Youth Health Service assists hundreds of young people every year with access to GPs, nurses, antenatal care, drug and alcohol counselling and case management. For those who are experiencing trauma and instability, having free legal help available at the same location removes so much stress which contributes to the improvement of their overall physical, mental and emotional health.”
Levels of youth poverty and homelessness in the ACT and across Australia are at shocking levels with ABS 2016 Census statistics showing that young Australians are experiencing increasing homelessness in Australia and made up one quarter of the homeless population aged 20-30 years. Mission Australia’s recent Young People’s Experiences of Homelessness report indicated that 16.6% of ACT young people who had responded to Mission Australia’s 2017 Youth Survey had experienced homelessness, which is slightly higher than the national rate of 15.6%.
Genevieve Bolton, Executive Director/Principal Solicitor of Canberra Community Law says, “Since its inception in 2010, Street Law has been providing outreach legal assistance, going to places where people doing it tough are already seeking services, such as refuges and providers of crisis assistance. The Street Law/Junction health justice partnership expands on our existing collaborative partnership activities, and presents an opportunity to address the unmet, health-affecting legal needs of young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We are pleased to be partnering with the Junction to deliver this much needed service and look forward to seeing where this partnership takes us.”
Launch details
- Date/time/venue: Thursday 18 October 2018, 1pm-2:30pm at the Junction (30 Scotts Crossing Civic – cnr Scotts Crossing and Cooyong Street).
- RSVP to events@canberracommunitylaw.org.au
- Special guest and event speaker: Gordon Ramsay, ACT Attorney-General
Contact info
For more information or comment please contact:
Farzana Choudhury (Street Law Program Manager and Solicitor) on 6218 7934 or
Anthony Egeland (Anglicare Regional Manager) on 0427 851 463 or
Amy Lanham (Anglicare Media Manager) on 0437 321 451
