The Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County (the clinic) is a free community legal clinic that helps low-income members of our community.
Much of our work relates to housing and income. This year we are also running The Law Van, an innovative project funded by The Law Foundation of Ontario that brings the clinic to communities in rural Wellington County.
We love what we do and want to help.
Everyday legal issues are common for everyone and can range from annoyances to formal legal complaints. TV dramas have taught us to think about law as something that happens in a court room. The truth is the law is made up of rules and regulations from different levels of government that impact our everyday lives. It’s natural and normal to feel overwhelmed by legal issues that we don’t know how to deal with.
The goal with all our work is to keep everyday legal issues manageable. At the clinic and during our Law Van stops across Wellington County we hear stories about not finding an affordable place to live, apartments needing major repairs, or landlords telling tenants to leave because they want to sell the building. We also hear stories about confusion with applying for Ontario Works or Ontario Disability and not having enough money for rent, and food and transportation. These are all issues that we can help with.
We have learned from working with thousands of clients that life’s challenges sometimes don’t look like legal issues. To help each of us have a better idea of when we might need legal advice, we have access to an online tool called the Legal Health Check Up. This tool identifies things in your life that you might need some legal help with and we respond by providing practical resources. Take some time to give yourself a legal health checkup at legalhealthcheckup.ca.
We know that just a little guidance or advice with everyday legal issues can change lives for the better. And while it is tempting to ask friends for legal information on Facebook, it is always better to get advice from a reputable source (stepstojustice.ca is a great resource with lots of practical information).
If you find yourself with an everyday legal problem, don’t be afraid to connect with the many community supports available to keep them manageable.
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Anthea Millikin is executive director at Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County