Fines are a huge issue for people living in the south east of Melbourne. We live about an hour away from the city and most of us travel significant distances to get to work each day. This means that we are vulnerable to attracting various driving and public transport infringements. In 2015, people living in Casey owed $123 million in outstanding warrants- more than any other local government area.
Elizabeth was no exception. She had to drive her 5 kids to school and her husband to work, because he had lost his license a few months back. He had a bad credit record, which meant most of the family bills and contracts were in her name. Her husband often got into debt from gambling and she had to use her small income to pay all the family costs. Elizabeth was behind on rent and bills when she got 2 fines in the mail. She had gone a few kilometres over the limit dropping her daughter off at school – forgetting about the 40-speed limit zone there and back.
She could not pay the money. She was so stressed and busy looking after her whole family that she forgot about the fines, and the amount she owed increased over a few months.
He husband lost his job and took her income from Centrelink for himself each month. The family bills got worse. She started getting collection notices and their phone line was cut off. When Elizabeth finally got a letter with the word ‘WARRANT’ at the top, she got scared and came looking for help at SMLS.
As a leader in integrated service delivery within our sector, SMLS has been providing integrated services for our community for many years. We have programs in schools, where lawyers, community development and youth workers work with school staff to help young people learn about our legal system, and access legal help when they need it. We have a longstanding health justice partnership with the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence, where we assist victims of rape, sexual assault and family violence with their legal needs, and another partnership with Monash Health. We also have a social work program where people can receive non legal referrals and support.
In 2019, we partnered with Good Shepherd and integrated financial counselling to our services. Elizabeth was able to get legal help with her outstanding warrants, as well as support from a financial counsellor to sort out her debt and get back on track. We identified that she was experiencing financial abuse, a form of family violence, and she was able to get referred to other services for counselling and other help. After a few months, she was debt free, with no legal matters weighing on her mind.
Integrated services are challenging. They require time, effort and most of all they require an organisation paradigm shift. We often look at a client’s problems, putting them into categories and helping with each issue in isolation. In an integrated model, we must be person centred, rather than compartmentalised, addressing the challenges they face holistically.
