Abstract: What is housing legal clinic?

As I write this, we are in the midst of Anti-Poverty Week - a national initiative designed to bring to the forefront of our minds the fact that many people in this country are living below the poverty line or are in severe financial hardship. In South Australia it is estimated that 1 in 8 people are living below the poverty line. Last week many of us were shocked with the headlines that in the course of last year, 5,500 young people were accommodated through homeless shelters, of which 3,000 of those were under the age of nine. Without secure housing, or "a place to call home'", homeless people of all ages experience higher than average interactions with the legal system, whether that be through fines, family court, criminal problems, Centrelink appeals or housing evictions. In addition to the problems of looking for housing, dealing with precarious health, trying to access family and general lack of money, these interactions combine to exacerbate situations, especially for those who are not able to access legal assistance.