The Homeless Persons’ Legal Service (HPLS) last night won the Community Legal Centres NSW Award at the Law and Justice Foundation’s 2010 Justice Awards for its work with Street Care, a homelessness advisory group established by HPLS.
The advisory group is composed entirely of people who have experienced homelessness. It aims to uphold the rights of homeless people, enabling them to participate in the development of more effective government responses to homeless issues.
Street Care now regularly advises the Federal and NSW Governments. The group has sucessfully influenced government agencies and providers of services to homeless people to consider consumer participation essential to developing responses to homelessness.
Chris Hartley and Julie Hourigan Ruse from HPLS accepted the award. The award recognises a project in a community legal centre that demonstrates outstanding commitment to improving access to justice in NSW, particularly for socially and economically disadvantaged people.
Pictured are HPLS Coordinator Julie Hourigan Ruse and HPLS Policy Officer Chris Hartley.