HELPING VULNERABLE ALBERTANS - CLG'S STORY OUR APPROACH OUR MISSION - Calgary ...

GUIDING VULNERABLE ALBERTANS
                              THROUGH THE LEGAL SYSTEM

HELPING VULNERABLE ALBERTANS

CLG'S STORY                                            OUR APPROACH
Calgary Legal Guidance is a non-profit                 Our approach to legal guidance is grounded
organization dedicated to providing unique and         in the principle of comprehensive support for
targeted programs and services for the vulnerable      our clients. In addition to our volunteer
and marginalized. We provide legal assistance,         lawyers, we employ social workers and wrap-
information outreach, and trauma-informed              around services that support and fill the gaps
guidance to people who would not otherwise have        not offered by Legal Aid.
access to such services, and those who do not
qualify for Legal Aid. For 50 years, CLG has offered
legal education and wrap around services,
                                                       OUR MISSION
becoming a community leader in supporting and          To provide legal assistance, information and
advocating for the homeless and low income             support to people who would not otherwise have
Albertans.                                             access to such services.

CALGARY LEGAL GUIDANCE

  "IT’S HARD TO FIND THE
 WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW
MUCH YOUR HELP MEANS TO
    ME. THANK YOU FOR
        EVERYTHING"
MARCH 2021                               PAGE | 02

CALGARY LEGAL GUIDANCE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ALBERTA
Family violence affects people from all
neighborhoods, age groups, genders, ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations,                   40%
and incomes. CLG recognizes that people
experiencing family violence have unique needs               more women are in the highest
when going through the family law justice system.          zone of danger for extreme violence,
The family law lawyers and social work program                up to and including homicide,
advocate provide legal services to people who have        compared to the same period last year
experienced family violence and abuse.

Sources have written extensively on family violence

                                                                        10%
and its treatment in legislation, case law, and
provincial and federal courts, and the ongoing
structural inequality, “where women continue to be          more applications for protective
blamed or made responsible for the violence they          orders from abusive family members
experience” (Koshan & Wiegers, 2019) .
                                                                    during COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has contributed
significantly to the need for DVFLP ’s services in
Calgary. Compared to the same period in the
previous year, Legal Aid Alberta saw 10% more
applications for protective orders from abusive family
members, and 12.5% increase in protective orders
                                                                        83%
involving children.                                        increase in online chat option from
                                                               contacts in 2020 over 2019.
As restrictions during the pandemic have forced
survivors of domestic violence to spend more time in
the home with their abusers, the lethality of abusive
relationships in Calgary has significantly increased as
well. The Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter
reports that the danger assessments they conduct                      12.5%
with their clients reveal that 40% more women are in
                                                              increase in protective orders
the highest zone of danger for extreme violence, up
                                                                   involving children
to and including homicide, compared to the same
period last year (Corbella, 2020) .

Phone calls to the Alberta-wide Family Violence Info
Line increased by 23% in 2020, while the line’s chat
option saw an 83% increase in contacts from 2019 to
2020 (Small, 2020).
                                                                     5,000+
                                                              total calls CLG received
                                                          regarding legal and social issues
                                                                  during COVID-19

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CALGARY LEGAL GUIDANCE

CLG'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/FAMILY LAW PROGRAM
Calgary Legal Guidance' services focus on individuals who
are thinking of leaving, are in the process of leaving, or who
have recently left an abusive relationship. Most of these
clients have children in their care. Our Domestic
                                                                                 360
Violence/Family Law Program prioritizes these clients due to
                                                                       individuals helped in 2020
the heightened risk they face, and provides guidance
through the courts as early as possible.

The Program is focused on setting up clients for long-term
success in keeping themselves and their children safe, while                    179
potentially engaging the legal system through a strengths-
based approach where the individual gains legal skill-            clients received information about
building for self-efficacy in legal processes.                      and preparation for obtaining a
                                                                            protection order
Our team provides both remote and in-person legal services,
including: information, summary advice in family law and
some associated matters including landlord-tenant, and
criminal (process), framing the history of the relationship                     74%
and relevant information for pleadings and court
appearances, assistance drafting pleadings, advice and            of clients reported feeling more safe
direction for evidence gathering, advice and direction for              as a result of the program
court processes, including scripting for family and
restraining order applications, and referrals to other legal
services.

Pro bono (free) legal services are provided while at the same
                                                                                80%
time pragmatically addressing the many other hurdles              of clients report they have increased
faced by an individual fleeing family violence, such as: safety      confidence in making decisions
planning, housing, and counselling. Our team takes time in           regarding their family law issue.
asking questions in a trauma-informed manner to help a
client tell their story, pulling out the details that can make
the difference between showing the court that the
relationship has conflict, and showing the court that the
mother and children are in danger.
                                                                    Did you know?
Our DVFLP fills an important gap in legal services through
trauma-informed, holistic services, for those who are
                                                                  CLG relies on the support of over 200
presently in an abusive relationship.                             volunteer awyers who work pro bono
                                                                    to ensure that our clients are well-
                                                                         supported. As a non-profit
                                                                  organization, CLG relies on corporate
                                                                   and individual donations that enact
                                                                       positive change for the most
                                                                        vulnerable members of our
                                                                               communities.

MARCH 2021                                                                                PAGE | 03

CALGARY LEGAL GUIDANCE

*KEN'S STORY
Ken*, a man in his early twenties, came to CLG in 2016 for assistance with a restraining order. He and his
brother had been removed from their mother's care as toddlers and placed into a foster home. He
explained to the DVFL lawyer that his foster family were physically, psychologically, and sexually abusive, and
that he was adopted out of that house into a loving family after years of abuse in the foster home. Ken had
no contact with the original foster family, until they accidentally stumbled upon him at his place of
employment, which they then returned to several times to taunt and verbally abuse him.

At that time Ken obtained a civil restraining order. DVFL also discovered that, because of the timeframe in
which he was in foster care, he fit the definition of "class member" in the Alberta Child Welfare Class Action
Settlement. In April 2016, Ken reported his experiences to the RCMP, and in October 2016 he filed an
application to the Victims of Crime Benefit Fund (VCB). In April 2018, the Victims of Crime Benefit Fund
denied Ken’s application. With his permission, DVFL filed an application for review to the Criminal Injuries
Review Board (CIRB). DVFL located a Ph.D. psychologist who had assessed Ken as child and who was able to
professionally corroborate his allegations, including confirming that the foster home has been investigated
and shut down as a result of Ken’s disclosure of abuse.

In November 2020, a Medical Adjudicator for the Victims of Crime returned a new decision, awarding Ken
the maximum possible benefit for psychological injury resulting from being a victim of crime, in the amount
of $35,000.00.

*Not clients real name.

OUR IMPACT
This client’s story highlights that access to justice can be complicated, and Calgary Legal Guidance aims to
make it less so for vulnerable members of our community. Your support of Calgary Legal Guidance ensures
that cases like this are not overlooked and that our vulnerable populations are protected.

MARCH 2021                                                                                        PAGE | 02

CALGARY LEGAL GUIDANCE

HOW YOU CAN HELP

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP                   "[the CLG] TEAM
Stakeholder and sponsorship
packages are available to align with     HELPED ME GET
your company's mission and
community vision.
                                         THE BENEFITS I
                                        NEEDED. THANKS
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS
Keep CLG in mind when you are          FOR ALL THAT YOU
thinking of making a donation, and
mention our organization to others.
                                        DID. NOW, I CAN
                                       SUPPORT MYSELF.”
FUNDRAISING PARTNERSHIPS
If your company or organization is
planning a fundraiser, think of CLG
when you choose a benefactor.

PROMOTIONAL PARTNER

Help promote CLG's programs and
services through social media and
electronic news.

                                       CONTACT US
                                       Marina Giacomin, Executive Director
                                       giacominm@clg.ab.ca

                                       Paula Arnold, Stakeholder Engagement
                                       arnoldp@clg.ab.ca

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