Westbury welcomes legal literacy volunteers

March 2018

LAUNCESTON COMMUNITY Legal Centre (LCLC) have recently extended their Legal Literacy Volunteer (LLV) service to Westbury Community Health Centre.

Legal Literacy Volunteers help people to fill out forms of all kinds, write letters, and identify when an issue needs to be referred to a free lawyer.

Volunteers will be available at the Westbury Community Health Centre on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.00am to 2.00pm.

LLV coordinator, Beylara Ra says “We find that many people who come to us are really good at reading and writing but when it comes to filling in a specific form they have real difficulty. This can be for lots of reasons. The terrific thing about having access to the Legal Literacy program is that rather than putting off completing the form or writing the letter and risking things getting out of control, people can get help locally and confidentially, when they need it”, she said.

Ms Ra said about 50% of what Volunteers help with are Centrelink forms, but they are skilled to assist with many different forms and writing tasks. If you think you might enjoy helping people in your community, please contact Beylara on 6334 1577 to find out more. Deloraine House continues to provide a Legal Literacy Volunteer service.

Ms Ra said free lawyer visits and availability of LLVs at Deloraine House will not change. “What will change is that people who face difficulty with transport from Westbury to Deloraine or Launceston will have the option of getting help in Westbury”.

Volunteers are available at Deloraine House by appointment (ring the House on 6362 2678 to book an appointment).

Anyone wanting a free appointment with one of the LCLC lawyers should call 6334 1577.