Our Mission
Improving access to legal and social service resources for socially and economically disadvantaged members of the community by providing legal support, education and referrals in partnership with students and volunteers.
Guiding Principles
- Accessibility: We will strive to be available to everyone. All programs and services, policy and procedure, and methods of operation will be as inclusive as possible.
- Empowerment: We aim to empower those we work with by sharing knowledge and tools to navigate systems in a way that builds confidence and explains processes. We want all those we work with to have the support, tools and information they need to address their concerns.
- Team Approach: We find strength in our diversity and value the contributions of everyone on our team. We take an interdisciplinary approach, learning from each other’s input and perspective. Our team approach is bolstered by strong communication, a supportive atmosphere, and diversity.
- Flexibility: We will approach our work and the challenges we encounter with flexibility. Responding to the needs of our clients, we will start with openness, looking for where and how we can be helpful.
Annual Report
1282
Referrals to community partners
1282
Referrals to community partners
665+
Hours donated by volunteer lawyers
Annual Report
2023-24
In 2023/2024, the Legal Help Centre operated in-person Drop in client clinics, while keeping telephone appointments with clients as needed to ensure accessibility.
Strategic Plan
Our Collaborative Approach
Legal Help Centre takes a collaborative approach to solving problems.
At Legal Help Centre, we recognize that legal problems often intersect with social and economic issues. We know that dealing with a legal issue can impact a person’s life in many ways – legally, financially, emotionally and even physically. That is why we use an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. We host students from the faculties of law, social work, conflict resolution and criminal justice and, if an individual has other concerns related to their legal problem, we work together to try to assist by providing information, support and helpful referrals.
In addition, we work together with a variety of community organizations to help individuals deal with the complex dilemmas they face. If we can refer a client to another agency that is better suited to help them with some part of their problem, we do! If we can cooperate with others to improve an individual’s involvement in the legal process, enhance the information provided to the public and empower people to deal with their legal matters, we will and we have! If we can create opportunities for students to get practical experience and develop skills that will help them be successful in a career of helping others, we definitely do!
