Saint John newcomers get legal help for tenant disputes, spousal abuse
Program can be life-changing, says one of the lawyers taking part
A legal assistance program for newcomers in Saint John is getting good reviews and an extension of its funding.
The Civil Rights and Contract Rights for Racialized Newcomers program started a year and a half ago and has so far helped more than 150 people, said Doaa Higazy, project lead at the Saint John Newcomers Centre.
She meets clients who have a broad range of legal needs, including issues with immigration, employment, family law, housing, tenancy, notary services and writing wills.
With funding formally announced last week by the federal government, newcomers who live in Saint John and have low income will be able to continue to receive free legal help for such matters through 2026.
Needed help ending lease
Lyzza Iveth Prada García arrived in Saint John from Colombia about six months ago.
She subsequently found herself in need of help to get out of a shared lease and a telecommunications account.
"I was asking about if the other person don't want to pay or something, and if I have to pay it right away, or if I can change it."
Prada García said she heard about the legal assistance program from someone with the multicultural organization PRUDE.
She then got in touch with the Saint John Newcomers Centre and was referred to a lawyer.
"I was glad and happy that they told me in that moment that I was needing that advice," she said.
Rita Godin, a family lawyer and former Crown prosecutor, works with the newcomer legal program. (Submitted by Rita Godin)
Lawyer Rita Godin of Bathurst said the program is changing lives by providing "quality legal aid."
She has been working with some of its clients.
One woman who alleges she was a victim of intimate partner violence was referred to Godin after being in the legal aid system for about two years.
There had been various legal motions, said Godin, and the woman needed an experienced lawyer to deal with a complex family law case.
Building trust in system
Godin specializes in family law and is a former Crown prosecutor.
She has now represented the woman through a few more motions and a five-day trial. Another five days in court are planned for April.
Thanks to the program, the woman doesn't have to worry about any of the associated legal fees.
The woman initially didn't know about services available to support victims of spousal violence, said Godin, or which parent would have the right to a child tax credit.
"Now, I'm in a relationship where she trusts me and she trusts the system again to try to protect her and her child."
Some clients of the program have come from countries where spousal violence is treated differently, said Godin.
"There is a lot of misinformation," she said. The first thing they need is information about the law in Canada.
Other clients Godin has had through the program need things as simple as an affidavit for a visa application.
She said some have told her they were previously turned away by four or five other lawyers' offices.
Asked to elaborate, she said she doesn't think they're being turned away because of racism, but more likely because their requests involve such small matters that many busy lawyers would find them not worth their time.
Support from the Saint John Newcomers Centre is instrumental to the program, said Godin.
Doaa Higazy refers clients from the Saint John Newcomers Centre who need help with a wide variety of legal issues. (Submitted by Doaa Higazy)
The centre tries to serve as a "bridge" between newcomers and lawyers, said Higazy, and to help all parties see through a cultural lens.
If there's a language barrier, they provide interpretation, she said.
They also try to relieve stress related to the loss of social supports when a person is in a new country without a lot of friends or family around.
Legal issues are stressful enough, Higazy said.
She hopes the program will be around for much longer than the next two years.
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With files from Information Morning Saint John