As a community legal centre, Southside Justice supports people experiencing violence and abuse, financial hardship, housing insecurity and discrimination and other social and legal issues.
Southside Justice began as the St Kilda Free Legal Service in 1973, a time when passionate lawyers and volunteers started banding together to make legal advice more accessible and available.
“Our Centre had its beginnings in this social movement and we are very proud to be providing free legal advice half a century later,” Southside Justice CEO Mel Dye said.
Southside Justice’s work includes Community Justice Partnerships with the Better Health Network, Launch Housing, Sacred Heart Mission and the Salvation Army.
“These partnerships recognise that a lawyer is not always the first person our clients will turn to for legal help. By delivering targeted, timely and integrated legal help at the right time, we can help resolve problems which might otherwise escalate, causing even more issues, disadvantage and higher costs.”
Mel estimates the centre has assisted tens of thousands of people over the past 50 years and remains an important community resource for those requiring legal help.
“This is an incredible milestone and also a stark reality that there are still many people in our community going through tough times,” she said.
“In the last financial year we assisted close to 900 people. Given the complex and interconnected issues people face, the demand for our service is increasing.”
