A brighter future

Pablo, in his late 20s, presented to PCLC with a large fine debt of over $206,000. Having come from an abusive home, he had no family support. He had also had a drug addiction since his teens, falling in with the wrong crowd, and he had significant mental health concerns. He had previously moved house multiple times and was neither able to cope with his job nor hold on to it. Pablo’s mental health deteriorated through COVID and when seeking help, was overwhelmed by the lack of mental health resources available and gave up hope. Pablo was living in fear of being arrested and jailed for the fines. When he attended our fines clinic, he felt his life was over. Pablo had no history of ongoing engagement with a health professional and could not satisfy what he needed for an application for enforcement review with Fines Victoria. With no income, PCLC was able to assist Pablo with funding an assessment and report fees using our disbursement funds supported by our Pro Bono partner, Russell Kennedy Lawyers from a clinical psychologist that enabled an application to be made under special circumstances. Pablo’s application was successful, and enforcement revoked for the fines. This has been a turning point for Pablo and his efforts to turn his life around. He was extremely grateful for PCLC’s assistance and the ability to fund the report needed for his application. This reinforces how significant it is for vulnerable people to have access to PCLC’s services.