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Welcome to the first newsletter for 2022 from the HRCLS team. Here's a quick update about where things are at with our service. This includes:

  • Current office status
  • Outreach - what's happening?
  • We want to hear from you - what legal topics do you want to know more about!
  • Information sessions & training opportunities
  • Women in Law Breakfast 2022 

Our offices are open, but we are continuing to provide legal advice via telephone at this stage. However, whilst we aren’t physically attending our outreach locations, you can still obtain free legal advice by contacting our office and making a phone appointment.  We will keep you updated as things change and we can return to in-person advice.

You can reach us on 02 6055 8090 or contact us through the website. Our COVID page contains useful information and many answers to COVID-related legal questions that your clients might still be experiencing. 

Our fingers are crossed for holding another Women in Law Breakfast, with Thursday 19 May in the calendar. We are looking forward to hosting this event again, and grateful for the support shown over the years for this popular gathering. We have approached a potential guest speaker and hope to announce this as soon as possible, along with all the details you need to book your seat.  

On behalf of the HRCLS team, we wish you all the best for the year ahead. 

Ashlie Barclay
Acting Manager

COVID-19 info - easy access

COVID continues to have an impact in our area, and may be causing legal problems as a result. 

Our website has plenty of information you need to help clients. This includes links to courts information, legal aids, employment and tenancy Q&As, family law, family violence and mediation services, specialist consumer help and Centrelink queries.
COVID-19 links
Bushfire legal help

FREE legal help and advice is available on  your legal issues and options for ongoing assistance after the 2020 bushfires. 

Call HRCLS on 02 6055 8090 to seek initial guidance on how to tackle your legal problem. You can also visit the dedicated Bushfire Legal Help page on our website for more information. 
Bushfire Legal Help
Got a legal question for HRCLS?
Call us on 1800 918 377 or email cls@umfc.com.au
Have your say - what training do you need? 

Our Bite Size law sessions proved popular last year, and we are keen to keep you informed and up-to-date with basic legal information on a range of topics. We've created a quick survey and would love to hear what legal topics can help you the most when you are working with your clients. Just click on the topics you would like to know more about, and we will hold sessions throughout the year to meet this need.  
Quick survey

We help solve legal problems

As a generalist free community legal service, we provide assistance on a range of legal issues, including:

·       family law 

·       family violence

·       separation and divorce

·       youth law

·       motor vehicle accidents

·       credit and debt issues

·       consumer complaints

·       fines

·       other everyday legal problems

Some legal problems, like bankruptcy, conveyancing, personal injury, and commercial matters, we are unable to assist with, but if you call us, we can refer you to someone who can help. We prioritise people experiencing family violence, children and youth, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with a disability or mental illness, the elderly, low income earners, and people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Women in Law Breakfast - Thursday 19 May 2022
Community services working together to get better legal outcomes for people 

HRCLS proudly coordinates the Legal Aid NSW Cooperative Legal Service Delivery program, which brings community services together to improve legal, financial and social outcomes for people experiencing disadvantage. Our focus is the southern Riverina of NSW, including Albury, Corowa and Deniliquin. The first meeting for 2022 is on Wednesday 23 February at 1.30pm via Teams. Guest speakers from Legal Aid NSW will be talking about the NDIS and Child Support, and issues your clients could be experiencing and what can be done to assist them. 

if you are interested in joining this meeting to find out more about the partnership and hear from the speakers, please email Simon Crase at scrase@umfc.com.au.
Albury CLSD partnership - what we do
 
Disability Support Pension training

The Disability Support Pension (DSP) is probably the most complicated of the Centrelink payments and understanding how it works will help navigate the system. The DSP session runs for about 90 minutes on these areas:  

Intro to Welfare Rights Centre 
General eligibility for Centrelink payments 
The different things needed to prove eligibility for DSP – there are about 6 different things needed to be shown 
More detailed info on the Impairment Tables (one of the 6 things) 
Tips on medical evidence 
Appeal limitations
The training is aimed at community workers being able to assess someone’s eligibility, seeing where the holes might be in their evidence and knowing where to go to get the evidence needed.

Date: Tuesday 1 March 2022

Time: 10am

Where: Zoom, please register beforehand
Register online

Free workshops - The Orange Door

The Orange Door Ovens Murray Area is continuing its online workshops in February and March to help services develop and understanding of the role of The Orange Door and referral pathways. 

The workshops are designed for staff or volunteers in the Ovens Murray Area - Alpine, Benalla, Indigo, Mansfield, Towong, Wangaratta, Wodonga LGAs - who will potentially refer clients to The Orange Door.

The Orange Door provides free support for:
• People experiencing family violence or who are at risk of family violence
• People seeking assistance with child wellbeing and development
• People seeking support to change their behaviour and stop using violence

Dates: see attachment

Need help sorting out finances?

UMFC Financial Counselling – phone appointments available. Call 02 6055 8000 to speak with a financial counsellor.

Uniting Goulburn North East Financial and Gambling Counselling - Financial counsellors are operating on the phone (02) 6021 7099 or email stdavids@vt.uniting.org. 

Anglicare Riverina - email riverinafc@anglicare.com.au to speak with a financial counsellor who can help you sort out problems with your finances and get you on the right track.

27-29 Stanley Street

Wodonga VIC 3677

Postal: Box 31, Wodonga VICF 3689 

Email: cls@umfc.com.au

Contact us online

Website: HRCLS