Supporting community justice help: research and discussions

CLEO has released a new report calling for greater recognition and support for community organizations as pivotal to advancing access to justice for Ontarians. Based on research and consultations, the report highlights the difference between access to justice and access to the formal legal system and explains how community organizations play a critical role in bridging the justice gap by providing community justice help.

The report explores how community organizations in Ontario can be better equipped and supported to help people with life-affecting problems that have a legal element. “Ontarians have established a path to community justice helpers such as settlement workers, advocates against gender-based violence, social workers in healthcare settings, and other frontline specialists who can provide help,” says CLEO Executive Director Julie Mathews, who co-authored the report with Professor David Wiseman, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. “These workers are responsive to the lived experiences of their clients, and have established a high level of trust from the communities they serve.”

Learn about community justice help here:

• read our report "Community Justice Help: Advancing Community-Based Access to Justice"
• watch a panel of community workers describe the work they do to help clients with law-related problems (the panel discussion starts 42:00 minutes into the webcast, and lasts approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes)
• read Julie Mathews' blog post about this research, originally published on Slaw.ca

For additional background research:

• read a summary and preview discussion paper about this research
• review past foundational research on “trusted help” commissioned by The Law Foundation of Ontario.