People’s lives are complex. So are their legal issues. Often problems are treated in isolation without addressing the underlying cause. Therefore, some legal service providers have adopted an holistic client-focussed approach. The impact? – it is more likely that the advice received makes a difference to their lives rather than simply resolving the immediate issue.
South West London Law Centres launched a Crisis Navigation service in 2021. The project bridged the gap between the advice being given by our housing and debt teams, helping those at risk of losing their homes. As soon as someone is identified as being behind on their rent or mortgage payments, a Crisis Navigator works with them giving targeted advice, performing benefits checks and applying for grants. They also refer to other members of the Law Centre to help with other legal issues such as immigration status.
The project has proved highly successful. As well as averting the immediate crisis of potentially losing their home, clients are better equipped to face the future. Feedback includes:
‘I don’t have to worry about losing my home any more. I’m so thankful for the Law Centre’s help – it’s made a big big difference to me.’
The Law Centre’s Money Advice team won the Debt Free London ‘Debt Team of the Year Award’, the judges highlighting the benefits of the team being embedded in a Law Centre where this holistic approach can be adopted.
Timely intervention doesn’t just help the individual concerned: it benefits us all. Keeping people in their homes means that families are not forced to relocate leading to children having to change schools, family members changing jobs and additional financial burdens.
One recent Report has estimated that:
‘On average, clients in receipt of free specialist legal advice will cost the government £8,000 less in the first year… The longer-term positive impacts for clients include higher rates of employment, better health and less benefit dependence, all bolstering public funds. There are also longer-term positive systemic impacts of advice provision. A fairer and more predictable system is more efficient and productive, and Treasury in turn benefits from higher tax receipts and a lower benefits bill.’ (Pragmatix Advisory/ Centre for Economic and Business Research, September 2021) 1
The benefits of free legal advice impact the whole community. The current cost of living increase is being felt in millions of households across the country; demand for help has never been higher.
But… the legal advice sector itself is in crisis. In 2012 legislation significantly reduced access to legal help funded by legal aid. The instability of funding has led to a legal recruitment crisis in social welfare law areas. South West London Law Centres is one of the oldest and largest law centres in the country. We’ve adapted but survival is hard. It is telling – and deeply concerning – that the number of law centres across the country has fallen from a high of 60 to 39.
We need a robust system of funding that offers long-term stability to the legal advice sector so that more services such as crisis navigation can help people have a brighter, more prosperous future. Otherwise they will be denied access to justice. Whether funding comes from a levy on all civil court claims, central government funding, or elsewhere is for key decision makers to decide: BUT that support is needed urgently. Navigating Crisis applies to the struggling legal advice sector as well as their clients.
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