People-centred, rights-based support

Outcome 3

Community members demonstrate increased legal understanding and capability to address or prevent legal problems

We work with community members and clients to build legal capability - so they have the capacity to take steps to address and prevent legal needs arising.

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The most common legal problems involved:

  • family violence
  • tenancy 
  • family law

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To achieve this outcome, we will track:

  • Quantity and quality of educational activities and resources that are accessible to our community.
  • Client capability to know their rights and take action.

When we build our communities’ legal capability, it means people experiencing new legal problems can take steps to prevent and address them, just like Hannah did. Read Hannah’s story.

Case studyNext outcome
In 2023/24 ARC Justice helped 5503 people, with:
1018
legal advice services
1748
information services
1689
duty lawyer services
1538
hours of renter support

Outcome 4

Services are accessible

We target our services to address the greater barriers to justice our community members experience.

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In 2023/24 we provided 996 intensive casework services to clients we identified with the greatest barriers to justice. Of these clients:

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  • 76% women
  • 10% First Nations 
  • 7% migrant or refugee 
  • 5% older people 

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To achieve this outcome, we will track:

  • Accessibility of our casework services to priority groups.
  • Quantity and quality of casework services.

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By partnering with community health and service organisations, like our health justice partnerships with Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative in the Greater Shepparton region, Bendigo Community Health Services and Maryborough District Health Service, we expect to improve the accessibility of our services to priority groups. Read Clare’s story to learn more about the impact of our partnership with Rumbalara.

We provided 996 intensive casework services to clients:
97
%
experiencing financial disadvantage 
64
%
experiencing family violence 
45
%
remote and rural location 
23
%
living with mental health challenges

Outcome 5

Increasing access to holistic services

We recognise that clients from priority groups often face legal issues across multiple areas, such as family law, family violence, and tenancy. By providing a holistic service, we support them in addressing both their legal and non-legal needs.

At the new Bendigo Specialist Family Violence Court, ARC Justice’s Information and Referral Officer helped over 750 people to better understand their legal problems and connect to support services, including our programs.

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To achieve this outcome, we will track:

  • Quantity and quality of services provided to clients addressing multiple legal and non-legal problems.  
  • Early intervention initiatives aimed to prevent and reduce legal problems.

Jason was experiencing multiple legal and non-legal problems when he reached out to our team in Shepparton, read more about Jason’s story.

Case study
In 2023/24 46% of our clients were assisted with multiple legal problems.
ARC Justice Venn Diagram

Hannah's story

In mid-2023, regional Victorian woman Hannah* faced homelessness after her then-partner trashed her rental, causing extensive damage, and prompting an eviction notice from her landlord.

The man broke into Hannah’s home – a private rental property where she’d been living alone for several years – while she wasn’t there. He turned the house “upside down”, smashing cabinets and mirrors and punching holes in the wall. Police were called and the man was arrested and issued with a Family Violence Safety Notice.

Shortly after, Hannah’s interstate landlord issued a Notice to Vacate, saying the damage was done by a tenant or their visitor. Hannah knew finding another rental in a town with a vacancy rate of just above 1% would be near-impossible.    

After calling ARC Justice’s Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre, Hannah met with a lawyer. The lawyer went on to represent Hannah in the Magistrates’ Court and successfully argued that the landlord shouldn’t evict her because of the damage caused by the family violence perpetrator, saving her tenancy.

A little over three months later, the landlord again tried to evict Hannah, this time claiming they needed to live in the property. Hannah knew ARC could help so reached out again.

ARC Justice’s lawyer appeared once more in the Magistrates’ Court and was again successful, with the magistrate finding it would not be “reasonable and proportionate” to allow the eviction. This meant Hannah was able to stay in the property and rebuild her life.

Close-up of a person with brown hair holding a white mug at an outdoor table, with blurred greenery and sunlight in the background.
ARC Justice was able to save Hannah’s* tenancy several times.

Clare's story

In mid-2023, Clare*, a First Nations mother from regional Victoria, was pregnant with her second child and desperate for protection from her ex-partner, Ross*.

She’d already faced months of his escalating violence and had recently separated from him but still feared for her safety and and that of her children.

Clare had applied online for a Family Violence Intervention Order to keep Ross away from them. But without a temporary order, she and her children were still unprotected. Clare reached out to ARC Justice’s Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre in Shepparton looking for help.

A lawyer from the community legal centre met with Clare, giving her advice before her first court date and then appeared on her behalf. They secured an interim order to keep Ross away while the case continued. Clare was also connected to a family violence support service, which helped her report breaches of the order to police. 

When Ross didn’t show up for the final hearing, ARC’s lawyer argued for a full order with clear conditions. The magistrate approved, giving Clare the peace of mind that Ross could only contact her about childcare arrangements.

This left Clare feeling “empowered and protected”. ARC’s help “was a lifeline”, she said, helping her feel informed and prepared to keep her children safe.

Pregnant person in a green dress cradling their belly, standing in front of a wooden door with a rustic background.
ARC Justice helped Clare* keep her children safe from her abusive ex.

Jason's story

In 2022, Jason*, a carer for his elderly father, found himself in a financial crisis after causing a car crash when he was uninsured. The incident left him with a $25,000 demand from the insurer of the other car and a hefty traffic fine.

Living on carers’ benefits, Jason was already struggling to afford basics and relying on food vouchers to survive. Adding to his distress, Jason had difficulty with reading and filling out all the required insurance documents.

Desperate, he reached out to ARC Justice’s Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre in Shepparton. The team worked with Jason to prepare an application for a debt waiver based on his financial hardship. He was able to secure an extension and negotiate a manageable payment arrangement for the fine, preventing further penalties.

While helping him address these issues, ARC’s lawyers also supported Jason after he received a Notice to Vacate his rental due to rent arrears.

Ultimately, the insurer waived the debt. Jason’s fine is now being paid in instalments, and he is no longer at risk of eviction. Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre also referred Jason to a financial counsellor, ensuring he can better manage any future challenges.

Close-up of a workspace featuring a laptop, a calculator and scattered notebooks on a wooden desk, with a person typing in the background.
ARC Justice helped Jason* regain control of his life.