This funding comes at a crucial time for RLC. The Centre recently lost $285,000 of NSW government funding for its credit and debt service.
RLC has been a pillar of the Redfern community for over 30 years, and its credit and debt service has been running since the day it opened. The Attorney General’s funding makes a significant difference to RLC’s ability to continue providing free, accessible legal advice and casework for disadvantaged clients.
“Credit & Debt problems have always been one of the highest areas of demand for our services,” said Ms Shulman, Redfern Legal Centre CEO.
“Money problems can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged people and can be a significant cost to the government. High housing costs are a problem in our catchment area and unresolved financial problems can lead to loss of housing. The correlation between the incidence of violence against women and financial and social stress is also well documented.” said Ms Shulman.
With adequate funding, RLC is well placed to leverage contributions from volunteers and pro bono partnerships, to provide a large amount of legal advice and support to the local community. In 2012-13 RLC had over 150 solicitor and law student volunteers, who contributed a combined total of 23,550 hours of free assistance valued at $2,677,000. RLC’s model provides good value for government funding.
RLC is still yet to regain full funding for its Credit & Debt Service.
