By JESSE GRAHAM
FAMILY violence will be in the crosshairs as Healesville’s new and long-awaited legal centre opens its doors to the public, with free advice available for those in need.
Healesville’s Eastern Legal Community Centre (ECLC) opened for its first day of business today, Tuesday 18 February, with a team of lawyers to provide free legal advice.
The centre was announced for the Healesville Community Link building in September, and was expected to open in November, but the opening was delayed.
ECLC CEO Michael Smith said everyone at the centre was excited about the opening, and that the centre would run three days a week, from Tuesday until Thursday, 9am-5pm.
Three of the centre’s main focuses will be homelessness, tenancy issues and family violence, with lawyers and trained staff able to offer advice on an appointment basis.
“We’ll see how it goes, but we’re really keen for the community to come in,” Mr Smith said.
“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time – it’s a great time to build those partnerships and to help those who need legal help.”
Mr Smith said that, if the community demand was sufficient, it could be possible to open the centre more days of the week.
Before the opening of the centre, the closest ECLC was in Boronia, with outreach services running one day per week in the area.
Outreach services will continue out of the Healesville office, to Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction and Lilydale.
For more information on Healesville’s Eastern Legal Community Centre, visit www.eclc.org.au, call 5962 1665 or visit the Healesville Community Link at 110 River Street, Healesville.
