Partnering with purpose
“Our partnership with Southside justice has been integral to the work that we do at Women’s House: breaking down barriers to social inclusion and community participation.”
– Jessica Carrol, Coordinator of The Women’s House
The Women’s House, part of Sacred Heart Mission, is a long-running engagement hub in St Kilda providing support to women experiencing homelessness, financial hardship or barriers to social inclusion and participation. A safe place for women to seek help and find connection, The Women’s House is also a long-term community partner of Southside Justice. For over 10 years, we have attended The Women’s House every month (except during the COVID-19 pandemic), offering drop-in legal support for anyone needing it.
Our local proximity to social services like The Women’s House reinforces the importance of place-based legal services in providing accessible and trusted support.
Catherine’s story
When Catherine connected with lawyer Bridget at our monthly visit to The Women’s House, she was feeling overwhelmed about a debt she had owing to Fines Victoria. Constant letters about her fines were causing Catherine significant stress. The fines occurred during a period of unstable housing for Catherine, and she had been working hard to manage her mental health and living arrangements in the aftermath.
Bridget worked with Catherine to apply for a review with Fines Victoria, asking them to take into consideration her experiences of homelessness and mental ill health when the fines were incurred. To support Catherine’s mental wellbeing, we also diverted further correspondence from Fines Victoria to the Southside Justice office.
The application was successful, resulting in over $18,000 in fines being withdrawn.
Catherine was overjoyed by the outcome. She reflected on the respect that was shown to her each time she interacted with the Southside team, giving her faith in the process.
Reflecting on our partnership with The Women’s House, Jessica Carroll, Coordinator of The Women’s House, said,
“Our partnership with Southside justice has been integral to the work that we do at Women’s House: breaking down barriers to social inclusion and community participation. Our monthly drop in with the Southside justice team works to dismantle one more hurdle to accessing appropriate and local supports.
Often, the people we work with become disheartened by yet another referral being sent off, but the magic of a drop is that we get to say ‘Hey actually, come back next Tuesday and you can talk to a team that we trust and respect, in real life, and right here where you already feel comfortable’.
Women’s House team is grateful to be supporting folks in collaboration with Southside Justice by meeting them where they are.”