Elizabeth Fry Legal Clinic
Rosedale Intensive Residential Treatment Program The program is located in Chilliwack and provides residency services to women with moderate to severe substance abuse. Women participate in this 4-6 month bed program, which deals with managing substance use through one-on-one support, intensive group programs, and clinical counseling. Employees work up day and night, providing women with individual case management planning and coordination, long-term substance use management planning, transition planning, and linkages to community resources. Clinical counselling and expressive art therapy are included. A New Westminster-based legal clinic, the lawyer employs EFry`s Poverty Law Clinic, which supports people who need help managing situations such as rent disputes, evictions, debt collection, bankruptcy, mental health and employment standards, and access to income programs. The Government of British Columbia is delivering on its commitment to improve access to justice for British Columbians and has provided a $250,000 grant to establish a new legal clinic at the Kamloops and District Elizabeth Fry Society. “When my case needed the help of a lawyer, I had to contact an organization in Vancouver. That`s a great idea. I like to talk face to face, not on the phone. As a visual person, I find it better to have personal contact. Having everything in one place saves time, whether it`s finding the legal provider that can meet my needs, meeting regularly with my representative as my case progresses, or facilitating the provision of evidence and documents in a timely manner. “Cuts to legal aid by the previous administration meant that residents of the Kamloops area often had to seek legal aid and advice over the phone with lawyers in Vancouver if they could find help,” said David Eby, Attorney General. With the new legal clinic here in Kamloops, residents can now personally contact a lawyer who is able to provide legal assistance in person.
“The new Right to Poverty Clinic significantly improves access to justice for low-income people in our community. Many of our clients have already been forced to access lawyers outside of our community, creating barriers to services that many cannot overcome. The addition of a poverty rights clinic in our community is a big step forward in removing these barriers and supporting the rights of low-income people who have been ignored for too many years. “This Elizabeth Fry Society program fills the void for women who are not eligible for legal aid through legal aid and who cannot afford their own legal aid. Elizabeth Fry Legal Clinic provides free legal advice and representation to clients in the Kamloops and Kelowna area. We can help you with income support, limited family law, disability, rents (rentals, co-operatives and shared housing), employment insurance, employment standards, Indigenous legal issues, human rights, small claims, civil procedure court cases, judicial reviews and other areas not covered by legal aid. “Navigating the justice system can be a costly and stressful experience, especially for our province`s most vulnerable residents,” eby said. “This funding sends a clear message that our government is helping to ensure that all British Columbians have access to the legal aid they need, when they need it. The Society operates a library at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre that provides inmates with access to fiction and non-fiction, including a collection of remedies and assistance in completing legal aid applications. Columbia Place Columbia Place is located in New Westminster and offers up to 17 women with parole discharge from Fraser Valley Institution for Women a supportive community housing program where they can demonstrate their ability to manage themselves and meet the conditions of their Parole Board of Canada order.
Staff work up day and night, helping women finalize the community plan they have submitted to the Parole Board and report on women`s whereabouts, as required by law, so that applicable legal requirements can be met.